Return to Me
by Tacti
Summary: Sequel to Without You. High School is tough. The Gundam kids rapidly find that they can't stay children forever. Each one faces joy, sadness, love & betrayal. In the end, they find that no matter what happens, they still have eachother. R&R!
1. Summary of Without You

Return to Me

For returning fans, welcome back! The gundam kids (except for Tivona and Damon) are in high school and Red's in college. This is supposed to be set ten years later. Just to refresh your memory:

Liam Peacecraft-18, purple hair, sapphire blue eyes (December 3rd)

Fey Maxwell-14, brown hair, blue-gray eyes (May 10th)

Sakura Chang-16, black hair, bright blue eyes (June 14th)

Sahara Winner-15, sandy blond hair, dark green eyes (April 19th)

Xanto Winner-15, light brown with blonde highlights, blue eyes (July 9th) [See corrected epilogue]

Tim Barton-15 & a half, brownish-black hair, dark green eyes (October 7th)

Tivona Barton-10, light brown hair, hazel eyes (March 21st) [See corrected epilogue]

Damon Yuy-10, dark brown hair, Prussian blue eyes (March 4th) [See corrected epilogue]

Naeva Yuy-15, black hair with blue highlights, steel blue eyes (January 30) [See corrected epilogue]

Red Hopkins-26, red hair, blue-green eyes (November 20th)

Okay, Tivona and Damon are young, so you may/may not hear much about them in this story. I plan on doing ANOTHER sequel, but it depends on your response as my reviewers…and my schedule. 

Okay, as you can see, this is not really the first chapter of the story. For those of you who are just joining us, I'll try to sum up Without You as best I can. I highly suggest that you read the story to fully comprehend the story…

Ten years have passed since Mareimaia's attack, and Relena has decided to step down from her position as Vice Foreign Minister. While trying to cope with Heero's absence, Relena attempts suicide, and goes insane. For a while, she kept herself in check. Then, the voice returns when she and her family go to Hawaii to visit the Winners. 

That's all I'm saying! Go read the story yourself if you want to find out what happens next. I'm going to get back to my other stories now. A bientôt!


	2. The Plan

Chapter 1: The Plan

I lied. Liam isn't the main char! It was kinda…_difficult_ to write from his perspective, seeing as he's the eldest (not counting Red). So…I just decided that Naeva would be easier. She _is_ a Yuy after all. And, though she was adopted, we get to know some pretty cool stuff from her past. So, I hope you like the first chap! It starts out with Liam and Fey, then it moves on to Naeva. Sorry 'bout that… -_-()

PS-Thanx Sarah for giving me the idea for Liam's bday present! ^_^

________________________________________________________________________

__

Beep, beep! Liam opened his eyes, yawning. The clock read 5:30 A.M. _Time to go to wake up_ He thought sleepily. He sighed. His parents were most likely asleep, and his aunt and uncle didn't visit 'til the weekends. A knock sounded at the door.

"Hold on Fey! I didn't eat breakfast yet!" Liam called, opening the door. Just as he had expected, there stood his best friend. She was fourteen now, and was almost fifteen. Her hair was in a braid, and her blue-gray eyes shone. She wore a blue sweater, jeans, and a cross necklace. 

"I don't see how you can be so hyper so early in the morning." Liam groaned, grabbing a box of Lucky Charms™ and pouring it in a bowl. 

"Chill, we still have time." Liam paid Fey no heed, and proceeded to shove cereal in his mouth. 

"Let's go." Liam said, grabbing his keys. 

"Liam, it's…" Fey began, but he had already gone out. He returned to grab a jacket, glaring at her. 

"Hey, I _tried_ to tell you it was cold, but you were in too much of a hurry!" She said, defending herself.

"Whatever. Just get in the car, and let's go." He said grumpily. 

It had been like this since Liam got his license. He would drive Fey places, and once she became a freshman, he drove her to school. Liam and Fey went nearly everywhere together. If you couldn't find Fey, chances were, you wouldn't find Liam either. They were almost complete opposites. While Fey was perky, hyper, and a total morning person, Liam preferred to sleep in, and tended to think about things too much.

Before Fey knew it, Liam was dropping her off. 

"See ya after school." Liam said, grinning. "Aren't you going to give Daddy a kiss?"

"Oh stop it, Liam! Honestly, sometimes I think that you and Dad are exactly alike!" She cried in exasperation. She sighed, and walked into the school. It was cold out. 

"Fey!" A voice called. The brunette turned around to see Naeva Yuy, one of her close friends. Standing next to her was Sahara Winner. 

"Hello." Sahara said softly. 

"Hey guys." She said, while doing the combination to her locker. It popped open, much to Fey's relief. 

"Phew, it opened! If it didn't that would have been the third time this week!" Suddenly, all girl chatter simply stopped. Fey sweatdropped. 

"I think I know who it is that's walking by." She muttered. Just as she suspected, Xanto Winner, Sahara's adopted brother, walked by. He was wearing a white shirt, and khakis. Naeva just rolled her eyes.

"Look at them. They're drooling like a bunch of idiots. Boys are such a waste of time." She scoffed, taking her binder, and walking to 1st period. 

"Hey Naeva." Sakura said. Sakura and Naeva had gotten to be close friends. Sahara had introduced them, and they just sort of hit it off.

"Did you see the way that those girls acted around Xanto?" Naeva asked, disgusted.

"Yes. They acted like a bunch of weaklings." Sakura agreed. Naeva rolled her eyes. 

"Please, you're beginning to sound like you're dad." Sakura laughed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I don't understand why he's so popular with the girls." Naeva shrugged. 

"Well, since we've known him for a long time, he's more like a brother to us."

"Yeah, I guess so. Crap, it looks like we don't get a sub today." Sakura said, groaning. 

Naeva was a smart girl. She had been adopted when she was five, and her parents tried to find out everything about her. But, there were some things that only Naeva herself knew. _Naeva…I'm coming for you…just like I promised. _A little voice said in the back of her head. She shuddered. It was almost time for lunch, so she figured that the voice was just some freaky side effect of being hungry. By the time she got out of line with her food, she found her friends already seated at their usual table.

"Hey Naeva! What's up?" Fey asked. Naeva shook her head. Fey Maxwell had always been the hyper one of the group. 

"_Occasionally_ scaring people." Naeva answered. 

"Occasionally?" Sakura laughed. "I could've sworn I saw blood on the floor from one of your victims!" Naeva did not laugh, nor did she smile. 

Sakura sighed. Naeva was like that. She hardly ever smiled. There was an air of mystery to her. Naeva was somewhat gothic. She wore mostly black, though she wore dark purple and navy blue as well. On both sides, she had a thick stripes of blue through her black hair. She began to look at her necklace again. _Why does she keep doing that?_ Sakura wondered. She was one of Naeva's best friends, yet there was so much she didn't know. 

Her necklace was actually a silver locket in the shape of a heart. She couldn't open it, for it was _literally_ a locket; she didn't have the key to open it. Sakura shook her head. 

"Hey guys, are you free after school?" Sahara asked. 

"I am!" Sakura exclaimed.

"So am I. What for?" Naeva wanted to know.

Sahara and Fey exchanged glances. 

"Liam's birthday is coming up, and we wanted to raise money to get him a gift. Unfortunately, we'll need your help." Sahara explained.

"Just what are you getting him that costs so much?" Naeva demanded.

"A laptop!" 

"A WHAT?! Do you know how much those cost?! We'll _never_ make enough money in time!" Sakura cried.

"We won't if you keep that attitude. After school, I'm going to baby-sit and Fey's going to do housework and yard work. What are you two going to be doing?" Sahara asked. 

"I'll baby-sit. What will _you_ do, Naeva?" Sakura questioned.

"I'm getting a job." She said simply. 

"Great, it's settled then! We should get enough money by the time his birthday rolls around. Which is about…a month from now." Fey exclaimed, counting the days on her fingers. 

"I sure hope that that's enough time." Sahara said worriedly. Just then, the bell rang, and everyone threw their stuff away.

"I've got to get to 6th period; see you after school!" Fey called, running down the hallway. 

"See you." They all said, going their separate ways.

After school, the girls met again, and discussed what type of laptop they wanted to get for Liam. They logged on to the Internet, and searched for the one Fey said Liam would want.

"Ouch, that's pretty expensive." Sakura commented.

"Yes, but I'm sure his parents will contribute some money." Fey answered.

"Doesn't his dad already have a laptop? Why doesn't he just give _that_ to Liam?" Naeva asked.

"He still needs it. Besides, Liam has already asked for his dad's laptop. He said no. Therefore, we've got to get him one of his own." 

The girls called their other friends in a secret meeting at Fey's house. They even invited Red, to see if he could help. 

"Okay, can we _stop_ the chattering now?" Fey asked over everyone's voices.

"BE QUIET!" Sahara shouted. Everyone stared. She wasn't the type of person who yelled often. Instantly, everything was silent. 

"Thank you. As you may or may not know, Liam's birthday is coming up soon. We plan to get him a laptop, but we don't have the money required. Sahara and I figured that if we all worked together, then we'd be able to get a laptop before his party." Fey announced.

"Hey kids, what are you up to?" Duo asked, popping into the living room.

"We're trying to raise money to get Liam a laptop for his birthday." Fey answered.

"That's a great idea! Why don't you ask Sahara and Xanto's parents? I'm sure they'd love to help out." Sarah said, appearing next to Duo.

"What a wonderful suggestion! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell." Sahara said politely. 

"Well, why don't we go ask them? I'll drive." Sakura offered. They all agreed. She was the only one that had her license out of the group besides Liam. When they arrived at the Winner mansion, they all went in to discuss the matter with Sahara's parents. 

"That _is_ a good idea." Quatre agreed. 

"I've got an idea too. If you guys help me clean after school, or whenever you get the chance, I'll pay you. It doesn't matter if only a couple of people can come, I'll pay them. That way, you'll have your money in no time." Catherine said. 

"Thanks, Mom." Xanto said hugging her. 

"Well, now that _that's_ settled, I suppose we should all go back home and get to our homework." Fey commented.

"Yes, that would be a good idea." Sahara agreed. 

When Naeva got home, she discovered that her parents were still there.

"Didn't you say you were going out tonight?" Naeva asked, setting her back pack near the door.

"Yes, but we changed our minds. Damon seems to have gotten sick, so they sent him home." Relena said. Damon ran up to his older sister and hugged her.

"Naeva!" He cried, 

"Great. Now the little brat's got germs." She said, pushing him away.

"Don't talk about your brother like that, Naeva." Heero warned. Naeva shrugged emotionlessly. 

"Yeah, whatever." She said, going up to her room.

"Damon, go back in the living room. I'll get you some hot chocolate." Relena said, smiling.

"Yeah!" Damon cried, running out of the room.

Naeva sighed, flopping down on her bed, and began to do her homework. _I'm hungry…I wonder if there's any food downstairs?_ Naeva thought. She went back down to grab an orange, then retreated back up to her room. After a while, Naeva began to feel sick. _Maybe the brat got me sick too,_ she thought. A searing pain sliced through her stomach. 

"Augh!" She cried, holding her stomach. She began to sweat. The pain only got worse. Just as suddenly as it came, it left. Naeva stared at her palm. It was blue. 

"What's wrong with me?" She asked before she passed out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oy, I've been delaying this for a while. What did ya think? Yeah, I know it was kinda lame for a first chap, but it'll get better; I promise! Plz review! Email me too! I don't care which!

-Mela's Runya


	3. A Day of Cleaning

Chapter 2: A Day of Cleaning

Okay, new idea. How 'bout I switch from Liam to Naeva? I don't know! Grr, this story is bothering me! I have to get it out, but each time, Naeva seems like that main character. She kind of is, but I just wanted to stress this: **Liam caught the bouquet. **Just a little…_reminder_ ^_^ hehe. How's it going? Like? No like? Horrible? Want to burn it? I love feedback! Email me too!

-MR

________________________________________________________________________

When Naeva opened her eyes, she found that it was seven p.m. She had a major headache, and her vision was a bit blurred. _What happened?_ She asked herself, getting up. All of a sudden, everything came flooding back. _It was probably just the orange_…she told herself. She got up, and went downstairs. Her parents were just sitting down to eat dinner, while her younger sibling was happily sipping soup near the TV. 

"There you are, Naeva. Perfect timing, we're just about to eat." Relena said, smiling at her adopted daughter. 

"What are we eating?" Naeva asked, though she really didn't want to know.

"Chicken, rice, and beans." She answered, passing Naeva a plate with the aforementioned items on it. 

"Thanks." She muttered before taking her fork and attacking her chicken leg.

"Wait! You can't eat yet!" Damon cried, jumping up. Thankfully, his bowl had been empty, and rolled harmlessly onto the floor. 

"Why not?" Heero asked. 

"Liam said that you have to pray before you eat!" The boy cried. Heero looked at Relena, who shrugged.

"Why don't you pray for us, Damon?" He smiled, and nodded. 

"Dear God, thanks for the food. Please help the kids who don't have any food. Thank you for this day. Amen." The young boy said. He then went back to his place in front of the TV.

"Little brat doesn't look sick to me." Naeva muttered. 

"Naeva," Relena said in a warning tone. The dark haired girl shrugged, and continued to attack her chicken.

The next day at school, everyone was giving Naeva weird looks. Well, all the girls anyway. 

"What's wrong with you? Stop staring!" Naeva shouted. Instantly, all the girls began talking amongst themselves again, only the very brave daring to glance back at the girl. The brave ones were rewarded with a glare. At lunch, the girls were _still_ looking at Naeva oddly. One of them approached the table.

"Hey Fey, can I ask you something?" She asked. 

"Sure Lanna. I'm sure that whatever it is can be said in front of my friends." The girl shrugged. 

"I heard that you like Liam." Liam was quite well-known throughout the school. To the freshman guys, he was their idol. To the girls, he was what they wanted their boyfriends to be like. Fey laughed.

"Dude, no way! Liam and I are just friends." She replied merrily. The girl shrugged, and left.

"That was random." Naeva commented. 

"I'm used to it. It's one of the consequences of being friends with someone like Liam." 

"Or Xanto." Sakura said, sitting down.

"Where were you?" Naeva asked calmly, without looking up from her food. 

"I was taking a test. Anyway, on my way here, I heard the craziest thing!"

"Do tell!" Fey said excitedly.

"I heard that Naeva and Xanto had a thing for each other." Naeva remained calm, and steadied herself. She was beginning to feel dizzy. 

"Naeva? I didn't mean to freak you out." Sakura's voice came. 

"No, it's not that. I just…don't feel well, is all." She answered. 

"Are you alright?" Sahara questioned. She had been quietly eating her food, merely listening to the conversation up to this point.

Naeva waved a hand. 

"I'm fine. I just…didn't have breakfast this morning, because of my project." The other girls nodded. It was a believable story; they _did_ have a project due, after all. 

"I'll be right back." The dark haired girl said, getting a bathroom pass from the table in the front of the cafeteria. She went to the bathroom and threw up.

She slid against the door, her head bowed. Her hands were blue again. _What's wrong with me?!_ A voice inside of her cried. 

"It's probably something I caught from Damon. I can't miss classes…I'll be fine." She told herself. She wiped her mouth, and proceeded to her next class.

"Hey." A voice said from behind her. Naeva didn't need to turn; she knew the voices of her friends by heart.

"Hey Xanto. Did you hear that messed-up rumor about us? I mean seriously, can't a girl have guy _friends_ anymore?" She looked at Xanto, who smiled.

"Guess not. Fey and Sakura said that you felt sick. You okay?" He asked. There was a gentle quality in his voice that Naeva had never heard before.

"I'm fine. I didn't have breakfast, and I was hungry. It's gone now that I've had lunch." She lied. Xanto flashed her a brilliant smile.

"Okay. See ya later?"

"Yeah. I'm coming by to help your mom clean. Is anyone else coming?" She asked.

"Can you ask Sakura and Fey? I forgot to ask them last period." Naeva nodded, and walked to last period. 

When Naeva got out of history, she saw Liam and Fey talking. Her friends were laughing about something. _They really do look like a couple_ She thought. She caught sight of Sakura.

"Hey, can you stay to clean at the Winner's today?" She asked. The black haired girl shook her head, her blue eyes looking apologetic.

"Nope, sorry. Red and I are going to the mall today. Maybe Fey can come." Naeva nodded, walking over to her hyperactive friend.

"Hey Fey, I'm going to the Winner's to…" She paused when she saw Liam standing there. 

"To?" Liam questioned.

"To...work on homework with Sahara. You coming Fey?" Naeva asked.

"Huh?" She asked. Naeva glared. "Oh! No, sorry, I can't. Liam and I are going bowling tonight. Besides, I already finished my homework." Fey answered. Naeva sighed. _Guess it'll just be Xanto and me_. She thought. About an hour later, she arrived at the mansion. She rang the doorbell, and heard it echo throughout the whole house. Instead of Red, Catherine opened it. 

"I came by to help you with whatever." Naeva said, getting straight to the point. Catherine smiled. 

"Thank you! Good thing you came, because I've got a lot of baking to do. We're hosting a party tonight, so we need to make some desserts." She said, letting the Yuy girl inside.

"Where's Sahara?" 

"She went to someone's house to help them study." 

"Hn." Catherine shook her head. It was amazing how much Naeva was like Heero when they weren't even related by blood. 

"Would you like to start the cooking or cleaning first? Xanto is also helping." Catherine said. 

"Cooking." Naeva said in her monotone voice. 

She followed Mrs. Winner into the kitchen, and nearly fainted at the sight. Xanto was standing there in an apron. He grinned at her, looking down at his odd attire.

"Yes, it _does_ look rather strange, doesn't it?" He asked, laughing. Mrs. Winner showed the teens how to make the cake, and left to go do other things. It was a good thing she did too. Xanto suddenly started to feel playful, and he got flour all over Naeva's face.

"So, you want a fight, eh?" She asked, mixing the ingredients. "Take this!" She dumped the entire bag of flour on top of Xanto's head. White powder finer than snow fluttered around Xanto to rest atop his golden head. 

"I'll get you back for that!" Soon, it was beyond a fight; it was war. By the time the cake came out of the oven, both teens were thoroughly covered with flour. They didn't dare do anything with the butter, for it was far too messy. When the cake came out, they both calmed down a bit. Then, when it was time to ice it, it started again.

"Xanto! You got icing all over my face!" Naeva cried. She was about to empty the contents of the sugar onto Xanto when they heard a gasp. 

"I can explain…" Xanto said, facing his parents. Catherine laughed at the sight of the two.

"It's alright! You'll just have to clean the kitchen instead. I'll pay you extra since it's _twice_ as dirty as the room I was _going_ to have you clean!" Quatre said. So, the two were given sponges and buckets of soapy water.

"It dissolves the flour and cleans it off the floor more quickly." Catherine explained, walking out of the room. All too soon _another_ war broke out. This time, there was no mercy. When the two were done, soap bubbles were all over them. After they had gotten paid, Naeva went to the door laughing. It wasn't often that she laughed, or even smiled. It was a rare sight indeed. 

"I'll take you home." Xanto offered. Naeva smiled.

"Thank you." 

The limo arrived at Naeva's house, and she thanked Xanto again for letting her help out. Naeva rarely thanked anyone. It made Xanto feel special. Naeva even waved when the limo left. 

"Was that Sahara?" Relena asked. Naeva shook her head.

"It was Xanto." She said, retreating up to her room once again. 

Flopping onto her bed, Naeva counted the money she had made that day. _Twenty dollars…that's better than I thought!_ She reached for her phone and called Fey to inform her of the money she had made, but there was no answer. Shrugging, Naeva began to work on her homework. And then, it came again. 


	4. Rumors

Chapter Three: Rumors 

*Waves at Micro-Chick* Hiya! I _did_ miss you! I was wondering where all those silly, long messages from you went! Mwahahaha! Ack, don't worry, Naeva will become happier later. *Evil grin* Riiight…. So anywayz…about the blue hands…uh…you'll find out about that later! And that's a darn good idea about switching chars! *Glomps you for it* You're so kewl, Micro-Chick!! Greg is a char I created just 'cause you said that Liam should have another friend that's his age. You'll see how he ties into the plot later. *Maniacal laughter*

*Before we begin…*

This section will let you in on Liam. It isn't from his POV, so you won't see "I did this" or "I did that", kee day? This section will just allow you to see what he thinking/feeling, etc. Okie?

Okay, now for the thing I _always_ forget to do….

________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: All Gundam Wing chars do _not_ belong to me. They belong to their respective owners (whose names I cannot remember at the moment). However, **ALL** of the Gundam kids, Red, and Greg are Mine! Mwahahahaha! 

As Liam walked down the hallway, he was greeted every five seconds by a friend or a random person he didn't even know. Just when he thought that he was safe, a horde of girls approached him. 

"Hi, Liam!" They cried, crowding around him. _HELP!_ Liam silently cried. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his jacket. Liam laughed at the confused looks on the girls' faces. Then, he turned to his rescuer. He was met with the smiling eyes of Greg. 

"Dude, thanks man." Liam told the green-eyed boy. "Are they gone?" Greg laughed.

"Yeah. C'mon. Let's get to class." Besides Fey, Greg was Liam's other best friend. They hung out a lot together, and when Fey couldn't go somewhere with him, Greg would. To Greg, Fey was like a little sister. His own little sister had died when he was ten, and so, Greg could never really talk to girls that well. 

Lots of girls adored Greg, but he was just too shy. He couldn't talk to them, and tried to avoid them, if at all possible. He was the exact opposite. Greg never let his own problems interfere with his friends' lives, and was quite cheerful every day, (though not anyway _near_ as cheerful as Fey). 

"Dude, I heard a rumor about you." Greg whispered to his friend during class. 

"Tell me about it at lunch, okay?" Liam whispered back. His brown-haired friend nodded. 

At lunchtime, Liam looked for his group of friends. Greg waved from a table near the window. It was a tradition that Liam had started. They always sat at the same table. 

"Hey Liam, 'sup?" One of the guys-Tom was his name-asked as the purple haired youth sat down. 

"Apparently more than we thought." Greg commented. 

"Okay, spill it, Greg." Liam demanded. His green-eyed friend grinned.

"There's a rumor going around that you and Fey are…" Greg trailed off.

"That you and Fey are more than friends." Tom filled in. Liam laughed.

"Sorry guys. Fey is just my friend. She's almost like my sister, you know?" The guys nodded. 

"Of course, that means that you're still single, and the girls will still chase you," Another, blond haired boy said, grinning wickedly.

"Thanks a lot for reminding me, Jas!" Liam groaned. 

"You know what else I heard?" Jason asked, leaning in.

"What?" 

"I heard that Naeva Yuy and Xanto Winner are secretly going out." Liam nearly spit his milk out.

"Naeva…_liking_ someone? Don't make me laugh! She doesn't like anyone!" The guys all laughed at this. 

"What do you think, Greg?" Liam's voice came.

"What?" He hadn't been paying attention to the conversation at all.

"I asked if you could come bowling with me after school." Liam repeated.

"Sorry, man. Winter vac is coming up, and my family's getting ready to go to the States for Christmas." (AN: Remember, they're in the Cinq Kingdom, which is somewhere in Europe). 

"That sucks. Fey is the only one who could come. Sakura said she was going to the mall with another friend, and Tim is getting ready to go on winter vacation too." Liam told Greg.

"Well, see you later, man!" Liam said as the bell rang. Hurriedly, everyone tried to get to class on time. Somewhere along the way, he had bumped into Fey, and the two started talking. 

"Look at them, staring at us." Fey commented, shaking her head. 

"I think that your shirt could be the cause, Fey. It _does_ say "Keep staring, and I might do a trick", after all." Liam joked. Fey giggled. 

"Come with me to my locker." Fey said. Liam simply followed her. After a few moments, Naeva approached them. 

"Hey Fey, I'm going to the Winner's to…" She trailed off, looking at Liam. 

"To…?" He asked.

"To…work on homework with Sahara! You coming, Fey?" 

__

She's hiding something from me. Liam thought. Naeva didn't like it when family and friends collided. She didn't like it when Liam and Fey went off together. Liam knew what it was like to get Naeva angry, and it wasn't a pretty sight, either. 

"Huh?" Naeva glared. Liam sighed. _I guess she really _**does**_ hate me_, He thought. "Oh! No, sorry, I can't. Liam and I are going bowling tonight. Besides, I already finished my homework." Fey replied. Naeva shrugged, and left. 

"I've got to go; I'm getting picked up today. See you Liam!" Fey said. 

"Call me!" Liam shouted over the chaos of dismissal. Fey turned around.

"I WILL!" She yelled over all the voices. Then, she disappeared in the crowd of people. 

Liam sighed, and decided to make his way into the crowd as well. When he got home, he found a note from his parents. 

__

Liam-

We're out. We'll be back around 4. Lunch is on the stove, if you want some (you may have to heat it up).

Love,

Mom

Sighing, he went over to the stove, and found beef stew, and rice. Liam was pretty hungry, and so he grabbed himself a bowl and popped it into the microwave. Just as he was about to sit down and eat it, the phone rang. 

"Hi Fey." He replied automatically. He could hear his friend's giggle on the other side of the phone.

"You know me too well, Liam." She said. "So, what time do you want to go?" 

"Have you asked your parents yet?" Liam asked, sipping his stew. 

"They said yes. So, what time?"

"Is five okay?" There was a pause.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll pick you up then." 

"Ok, see you Liam." Fey said. 

By the time his parents came home, Liam was done with his homework. 

"Liam, we're back!" Lucretzia said, putting her purse down. 

"Where's Dad?" The purple haired teen asked.

"He's coming. Did you see the food?" Liam nodded. 

"I'm leaving in an hour to pick Fey up. We're going bowling. Is that okay?" 

"What time will you be back?" His dad's voice asked. Turning around to face his father, Liam answered,

"We sh0uld be back around 6:30." 

"Yes, you can go." Lucretzia said, smiling to herself.

"I know what you're thinking, Mom," Liam said, grabbing his jacket, "and it's NOT a date!" He yelled as he walked out the door-keys in hand. He got in his car, and drove off to Fey's house. When he arrived, he was relived to find that she was ready to go. She was wearing blue jean flares and a white sweater. She still had on her cross necklace. There was never a day that she didn't wear it. Liam also noticed that her normally semi-wavy light brown hair was curled.

"You should curl your hair more often, it looks nice." Liam commented with a smile. Fey grinned. 

"I was just bored with my hair." She replied. She got into the car, and off they went. They had a whole lot of fun. Liam couldn't help but stare wistfully at the couples that were there. _All the girls in my life are just friends. _He thought, sighing. 

"Liam?" Fey asked, looking at him. 

"What?" He asked, looking back at her. 

"Nevermind. It's your turn." She said softly. 

Liam smiled, and got a strike. "Hey wow! Good job, Liam!" Fey exclaimed. They kept on bowling until Fey looked at her watch, sighing. 

"Time to go, already?" Liam asked, when Fey pointed out the time. "Ah, well. I had fun, didn't you?" Fey grinned.

"Tons! I'm gonna try to get Naeva and Sahara to come bowling with me sometime!" She exclaimed happily bouncing up and down as they walked back to the car. 

Liam smiled as Fey happily babbled on about random things that came to her mind. He dropped her off at her house, and she looked at him, smiling before she got out.

"Thanks for taking me bowling tonight, Liam. It was really fun. More fun than I've had in a long time." She said softly, her blue-gray eyes shining. Then, she did the most unexpected thing ever: she leaned over and placed a kiss on Liam's cheek. Then, waving cheerfully, she got out of the car, and went back inside her house. 

__

I had a lot of fun too, Fey. Liam thought, smiling. He drove back to his house, and totally ignored his parents' smiles. _Let them think what they want. All that matters is that I had a great time._ Liam thought to himself. 

_____________________________________

That's not the last time you'll see Greg! You'll see how he ties into the plot later ^_~ Hehe. And the next chapter is from Fey's POV…sorta. Anywayz, I made _another _OC who is Fey's friend. Mwahahaha! Didn't you _love_ how I randomly switched from Naeva's freaky hand-thing to Liam? 'Til next chappie!

-Mela's Runya 


	5. Secrets

Chapter 4: Secrets

Hiya folks! *waves at Micro-Chick* Naw, your reviews are _fun_ not _pointless_! Random-ness is good! Anywayz, I've decided to switch off between chars within every chapter, rather than have a whole chapter about each person. Anywayz…for those of you wondering about Naeva's past…bingo! This is your chapter! Dang, even at age 5, she's _still_ like Heero. Kinda scary considering they're not related by blood…

Right! So, I hope you like this chapter! 

PS- I've re-written this chapter….

Disclaimer: Gundam chars, not mine. Gundam kids, Greg, and Red _are _mine. Mine, mine, **MINE!!**

Warnings: Attempted suicide

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Fey:

"Did you have fun bowling?" Sarah asked her daughter at the dinner table. 

"Yes." Fey looked down at her food, and tried to hide the blush that crept upon her cheeks. Duo gave his wife a questioning glance, but Sarah only smiled and put a finger to her lips. 

"Do you have a lot of homework?" Duo asked after dinner. Fey sighed as she put her dish into their 'dishwasher'. It was actually a high-tech slot that washed and dried plates, and even put them away for you. (AN: Technology rox!) 

"Nope, I finished it all at school. Well, except for the math."

"You need any help?" Sarah asked.

"No, I think I got it. If I do, I'll ask." Fey smiled as she walked away. As she did her homework, her mind wandered back to the bowling alley. She found herself thinking about Liam. His smile, his shining eyes. Shaking her head, Fey tried to resume with her homework. Every time she tried to figure out the answer, Liam's smiling face would pop into her mind.

"I can't take this anymore!" Fey cried, throwing her math book down. Much to the surprise of her parents, Fey stormed up to her room. Jumping onto her bed, she attacked her pillow.

"This isn't fair!" She yelled, punching her pillow more. "I'm not supposed to feel this way about him!" Then, she crumpled upon her bed, tears filling her eyes. 

"Why can't my heart stop beating?" She asked herself, putting a hand on her pounding heart.

"I thought that I was over him. I thought that we were just friends again. Why…why won't these feelings **leave me alone**?!" Fey cried, burying her head in her pillow. 

-------------------------

Sakura:

Sighing, Sakura walked home. Naeva had asked her to help clean the Winner's mansion after school, but she already had plans. Her parents were at work, and probably wouldn't be back until later. Red had told her that he would pick her up at four, and they would go. Homework was a bit tough, but nothing she couldn't handle. Before she knew it, she heard Red honking outside. She quickly wrote a note:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm at the mall with Red. We'll be back around 6. You can call me on my cell phone if you need me.

-Sakura

Then, she left the note on the table, and went outside. Red's car was obviously the same color as his name indicated. It was a red convertible, and sometimes, Sakura envied the fact that his parents could afford to buy him a car, and would actually let him have one. Her parents insisted that she buy her own car, or that she use one of theirs. 

"Hey!" She said, getting in. Red grinned.

"Hiya. How was school?" He asked, backing out of her driveway. 

"Ah, nothing special happened. Naeva asked if I could help earn money for Liam's laptop, but I told her I already had plans." She said. 

"Yeah, I heard she earned twenty bucks. That's not bad." Red commented, his eyes never leaving the road. 

"What do you think we should do?" Sakura asked randomly. 

"Well, you could always baby-sit. I'm not as good with kids as I am with girls." He said, grinning. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Dream on, Romeo." She said, laughing, as Red parked the car. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Winner are helpin' aren't they?" He asked. 

Sakura nodded. 

"Yeah, they are."

"Well, how much are they giving?"

"Three hundred dollars." Red whistled.

"That's a pretty good start. We already have three hundred and twenty dollars. Tim has a job-he could help. Speaking of Tim, I haven't seen him in a while." Red commented.

"Yeah, same here. His mom said that his job and his schoolwork take up a lot of his time. Plus, he's on the track team. He doesn't get home until seven or eight." 

"That sucks. Why don't we go eat something first?" Red asked upon entering the mall.

Sakura grinned, shaking her head. 

"It's _my_ turn to pick, remember?" 

"I forgot. So, where to?" Sakura looked at the map, and pointed to a clothing store. 

"There." Shrugging, Red followed her. After about five minutes, Sakura already had three bags of clothes, which poor Red was forced to carry. 

"Hey! These are heavy!" He complained. 

"Are they? I thought that you were _strong_. Guess not!" 

"Hey! I'm stronger than you!" Sakura leaned close to him, so that their noses were almost touching. 

"Are you?" She then took a step back, and looked away. There was something in her eyes that Red couldn't name as he watched her stare forlornly at couples and children. "You probably are." She said softly. Red felt like saying something, but no words came forth. Suddenly, Sakura turned back to him, a smile on her face.

"Hurry up! I'm getting hungry!" 

She always got that forlorn look upon her face when they started talking about strength. Red knew that she wanted to please her father more than anything else. 

"Sakura…" Red murmured randomly. 

"Come on!" She called, stamping her foot impatiently. Grinning, Red went forward, and bought the two of them lunch. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva:

"W…what happened?" Naeva asked, looking around. A sharp pain exploded in her head when she got up. _Oh no! It happened again!_ She ignored the pain, and continued on with her unfinished homework. Suddenly, an image appeared in her mind. 

***Flashback mode***

__

Come back here, both of you! A deep male voice yelled. The two girls kept on running. Naeva stumbled, and fell. Government soldiers were closing in on them.

"Naeva!" The other girl cried, reaching out to her sister. The girl had the same ice blue eyes, but blond hair. She was the very image of their mother. 

"Gratia! Don't worry about me! Get out of here!" Naeva cried. She had pulled a muscle, and fell back down when she tried to get up. 

"But…" The girl began. 

"You want to make big sister happy don't you?" The younger girl nodded. "Then **GO**! Run as fast as you can, Gratia! Don't turn back, no matter _what _you hear!" 

Dark clouds hung over their heads, and suddenly, rain poured down upon their city. Gratia found a box to hide under, and peered out at her sister. She saw nasty men hit her older sister, and say mean things to her. She jumped out of her hiding place. 

"Leave my big sister alone!" She cried. 

"Gratia! You've _got_ to leave! **Go**!" Naeva cried desperately .

The soldiers grabbed her as well. 

"I don't want to leave you." The girl cried, clinging to Naeva's shirt. She was so little, she was only three, and Naeva was five. Naeva took the girl's face in her hands.

"I promise you that I'll return to you." She kicked one of the guards holding Gratia. He cursed, and let go of her sister.

"Run Gratia!" Naeva cried. 

She ran and never looked back. She slipped and fell, and fell unconscious on the doorstep of Heero Yuy. 

***End Flashback***

Naeva held her head. _No! The memories…they're coming back! I thought that I had gotten rid of them…_She thought, shakily. Then, to her horror, the memories started up again.

***Flashback***

For three months, Naeva endured the torture of her Uncle, but she never told him anything. She told him nothing of her sister's whereabouts, and she said nothing of what he wanted to know. Finally, one day, one of the soldiers reported that they found her sister's body. Naeva, horrified, went to go see. It was her sister. They did not lie. 

She stood, alone at her sister's grave. Suddenly, she saw her sister standing before her. Bright light was emitted from her body, and Naeva swore she saw wings. 

"Naeva, I'm sorry. I messed up." The younger girl said. 

"No! You made me happy! You did what I wanted." Naeva argued. Gratia smiled sadly, and faded away. For the last time in her life, Naeva cried. She let all her tears out. 

"Gratia, I will avenge your death. I will make sure that Uncle pays for what he did to you! Ugh!" She fell to her knees in pain. She looked at her palms. They were blue again. 

"I will make him pay for putting this poison inside of our bodies!" She coughed up blood, and staggered back to Heero Yuy's house.

***End Flashback***

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day….

Sahara:

"Sahara! I lost the answer to problem ten, and I have math next period! Do you know what it is?" A girl asked frantically. She smiled.

"Yes, it's 65." 

"Oh thank you!"

"Sahara!" Another voice called. She turned around. She was met with the face of a boy from her second period class. "Does the Literary Club meet today?" 

"Yes after school. You need to bring your notebook and a pencil."

"Thanks, Sahara! You're the best!" 

Every day was like this. Everyone would ask Sahara Winner for everything. Smiling, she walked along to her first period class: English. Her hand was constantly up, as she knew many of the answers to the questions. 

"You're the best, Sahara!" Another random girl from one of her classes said. 

"Yes," Another agreed, "plus she's one of the smartest girls in the school."

"And the one of the prettiest!" A boy called. The girls giggled. 

"Oh, you're so _perfect_, Sahara. How do you do it?" They would ask, sighing in envy. 

"You can do anything if you put your mind to it." She said, moving away from the group.

Perfect Sahara. The pretty girl who got all the good grades, and that every single girl in every one of her classes adored, and every one of the guys knew they would never have. Everything Sahara did was perfect. She never did anything wrong…or so they thought. Sahara had a deep, dark secret. So secret, that only one other person knew. Not even her best friends Sakura, Fey, and Naeva knew. 

She was the quietest of the gundam girls. Well…except for maybe Naeva. Naeva only talked when she was pressed to, and even then, she probably only gave one word replies. No, Sahara wasn't like Naeva. She would greet everyone-be they friend or stranger-with a smile. Everyone knew about Sahara Winner. She was the star of the Literary Club, one of the best writers for the school newspaper, and the best photographer on the yearbook staff. 

She had been voted vice president of the SCA, and did the morning announcements with her fellow SCA reps. 

"Man, that was close! Wasn't it, Sahara?" Fey asked, looking at her friend. 

"What? Oh, forgive me, but my mind began to wander. I wasn't listening." Sahara flashed her friend one of her smiles. Fey grinned, shaking her head.

"Some day, you and Xanto are going to get into trouble, and that smile you both have won't do anything to save you. Anyway, yesterday, Naeva came and asked if I wanted to go to your house to clean, but Liam was there. Man, he almost found out!" Sahara giggled at her friend's ability to talk a mile a minute. 

"It's a good thing he didn't. Did you help out too, Sahara?" Sakura asked. 

"No, I wasn't at home." 

"Where were you?" Fey asked. Naeva simply ate her food, trying to stay out of the conversation, unless someone addressed her directly. 

"I was at somebody else's house. A girl from my first period class needed help, and I offered to come over and help her." 

"Sahara, you always were the kindest of us all. Sometimes, I think that you're so perfect, that you don't need any of us." 

"That's not true at all! I do too need you! I need all of you!" _And…I'm not as perfect as you think…_She thought, looking down. 

"What's wrong?" Fey questioned, cocking her head to the side. 

"N…nothing!" Sahara said, flashing her winning smile again. Fey began to babble on again about something, Sahara stopped listening. 

Soon, the day came to an end, and the four friends began to walk home. They usually took the bus, but because Naeva and Sahara lived nearby, the others knew they could always just stay at one of their houses. 

"Sahara, are you coming?" Fey called up0n seeing the blond in the throng of people. 

"What? Oh, yes." She said, smiling, making her way to her friends. While Fey babbled on, Sahara had her mind on other things. 

Soon, she was home, and found herself looking at the bottle on her dresser. _Nobody cares about the real me. I'm just an answer center for people who don't do their homework._ She thought bitterly. In only two strides, she was beside her dresser, holding the bottle in her hand. She opened it, and drank its contents. The bottle dropped from her hand, and she collapsed upon her bed. 

____________________________

More…_intense_ then I had intended, but yeah. *whacks self on head* **WHY** is this chapter so hard to do without getting into things I don't want to get into?! 


	6. Promises

Chapter 5: Promises

Okay, quick summary of what's happened so far to refresh your memories:

Naeva used to live in Italy. She was the elder sister of the little girl that Heero met. We found out in the last chapter that both she and Gratia (her sister) were poisoned by their uncle. The poison killed her sister. Sahara, who is supposedly the "perfect" one, attempts suicide. Which brings us to the present.

  
Warnings: Slight cursing. Don't worry…this is the _only_ time you'll ever hear _Xanto_ say something like that!

Hey Micro-Chick! I got your Xanto part right here! Oh looky! Liam's in this chappy too! And is that…? *gasps* Yes! It is Lacienega!

Disclaimer: Gundam kids, Greg, and Red are **Mine! **But Lacienega belongs to Micro-Chick! Steal my chars, and I'll be angry with you; steal Micro-Chick's char, and we'll _both_ be angry with you!! **RAWR!**

****

Happy New Year's everyone!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xanto: 

After his day of cleaning with Naeva, Xanto's attitude changed. 

"Hey, Xanto!" One of his friends would call.

"Hey! Isn't today great?" He'd ask. It was already December, and Liam's birthday was approaching fast. He wasn't worried at all. He'd put his time in, plus, he had gotten Naeva to smile. He and Sahara both had a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. Even Naeva had to smile when she saw it. 

"Hey Mom, where's Ara?" Xanto asked, using his nickname for her. His mother looked up from the book that she had been reading.

"Isn't she upstairs in her room, studying?" Shrugging, Xanto went up to check. 

"Ara, it's Xanto." He said, knocking on her door. There was no answer. "Ara?" He asked. He tried the door, and was surprised to find it unlocked. 

"Ara?" He questioned, lightly shaking her. She didn't stir. It was then that he noticed the bottle on the floor. Xanto gasped. 

He picked his sister up, and dragged her downstairs, to the couch. 

"What's wrong…Sahara!" Catherine cried. 

"Get Dad." Xanto ordered. "She swallowed sleeping pills, and got knocked out." He explained. Catherine, though she was pale, went to the basement to retrieve Quatre. 

Promptly, he came up. He gazed sadly at his daughter. 

"Let's call Sally, just to be safe." Quatre said. Nodding, Catherine went over to the comphone and dialed Sally's number.

"Sally, Sahara's unconscious. No, nothing like that. We found a bottle of sleeping pills on the floor next to her bed. You'll be over? All right, thank you." 

"She's coming." Catherine told her husband and son. Meanwhile, Xanto was trying to get his sister to come to. 

"Sahara? Come on Ara, wake up!" But, she didn't wake up. 

Sally came, and said that the only thing that they could do was wait for her to wake up. So, everyone came over, waiting for her to wake up. _It seems like she ate only a handful. Had she eaten the whole bottle, she'd be dead_ Sally thought. Finally, after a couple of hours of dead silence, Sahara opened her eyes. However, the Winner girl was displeased at the sight of her family and friends.

"Okay, she's still going to be a bit weak, and she'll probably have a headache from eating that many sleeping pills. Other than that, I think she'll be okay." Sally told her parents. 

"I suggest that you allow only one person at a time to talk to her. If too many people talk at once, her headache may get worse." Nodding, Catherine relayed this plan to everyone else. 
    
    Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself
    And covered with a perfect shell
    Such a charming beautiful exterior.
    Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes and perfect posture

But you're barely scraping by, but you're barely scraping by.

Xanto, being family, got first priority. Her parents had said that they'd talk to her later. Everyone else was in the kitchen, anxiously awaiting their turn. After a long pause, Xanto finally spoke:

"Why, Ara?" 

"I'm not perfect like you, Xanto. Nobody cares about me! I'm not as smart as you think I am!" Sahara cried, tears of frustration running down her face. The only thing that Xanto could think of doing left Sahara with a red mark across her cheek. 
    
    Well this is one time, this is one time
    That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone
    Or anyone at all, or anyone at all.

"Are you _that_ blind, Ara? You scared the hell out of Mom and Dad, and not to mention me. What about Naeva, Sakura, and Fey? Do you know how disappointed they are in you? You know what? You're right, Sahara. You're _not_ as smart as I thought you were. If you were, you would have known what would have happened had you died." Xanto walked out, shaking his head. 

Sahara held her cheek where her brother had slapped her. _I deserved that_ She thought, but would never admit. The next person to walk in was Tim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tim:

Tim Barton was the second one to speak with Sahara. From the expression on Xanto's face, Tim could tell that things had not gone so well. 

"You're supposed to be the smartest one out of all of us. What happened to 'Perfect Sahara?'" Tim asked. 

"She never existed. I'm just the girl who knows everything. Well guess what? I don't know everything, okay?! I'm not perfect! I'm not like my brother!" She cried.

"Is that what this is all about? Your jealousy of Xanto? Open your eyes, Sahara! It's true, your parents love Xanto, but they also love _you_. You are their real daughter." 

"Why should I listen to you? You don't care about me!" She cried.

__

"Yes I do!" Tim shouted, getting up. Sighing, he sat down again. "I care about you more than you could ever imagine. I've always thought that you were the most selfless person that I knew. I was wrong. Sahara Winner, you are selfish. Did you even give a thought to what your friends would do? What about your brother and your family? What about…" He paused, tears falling from his eyes, "…what about me? Did you ever think about how _I_ would feel if you left me alone?

"You need something to hold on to…something that will make you want to stay alive." 

"What do I have, Tim? I have nothing!" Sahara cried, tears of frustration running down her face. He took her face in his hands.

"You're wrong. You have me, Sahara. It's okay to mess up. It's okay to cry." Sahara began to let out all her tears, and hugged Tim close. 

"I was so stupid." She sobbed into his shirt. 

"Shh…it's okay. I'm here now. I think that tomorrow, you owe your friends an apology. Lacienega too. She's been out sick, and will have no idea what's been going on." Sahara nodded wordlessly. 

"God, I love you so much." Tim whispered. The Barton boy leaned very close to her face. 

"I love you too." She whispered, hugging him tighter. Then, their lips touched. "Don't _ever_ scare us like that again, okay?" He asked, looking into her eyes

"Okay. I promise." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greg:

(AN: Whoo hoo! When's the last time we heard from him?!)

After he finished his homework, Greg decided to call Liam. There was no answer, so he left a message. Fifteen minutes later, the comphone rang. Greg pressed the talk button.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Yo, Greg! Liam here." Liam said, grinning on the screen.

"Hey, man! I called fifteen minutes ago and left a message." He said. 

"Yeah, I heard it. We just came back from the Winner's house. Sahara, it seems, attempted suicide. Thank God she's okay." Liam told his friend.

"Sahara Winner? Isn't she like, one of the top students at our school?" 

"Yeah. Anyway, she said that she'll tell us about it tomorrow. I've still got homework to do. See ya later man." Liam waved, and the comphone blinked off. 

The next day, Greg woke up the same time he always did: 5:00 A.M. His parents were still asleep, so he'd have to make himself breakfast. Unlike Liam, Greg could actually cook. It was getting colder, and he decided that a nice, hot breakfast would warm him up a bit. He fried some eggs to make an omelet, and stuffed it with fried rice and sausage. 

After eating his breakfast, Greg waited for his ride. A honk sounded outside. Grabbing his backpack, the brunette jumped outside. 

"Morning, sleepyhead." Greg teased Liam. "Hey Fey!" He said, getting into the front seat, and waving to her. Liam was apparently unprepared for the cold. Though he had a jacket on, underneath was just a white shirt. He wore blue jeans that were somewhat baggy, indicating that he was particularly tired that morning. 

Fey, on the other hand, acted like nothing had happened. She was wearing a light blue sweater, and you could see the bottom of the white shirt that she wore under it. She wore black velvet pants, and her black sneakers. 

"Is that a new sweater?" Fey questioned as Liam drove. Greg looked down at his dark blue turtleneck. 

"Yeah, my mom got it for me yesterday. Same with the pants." He said, looking down at his white khaki pants. (AN: Hehe. Just be glad that Liam's wearing jeans ^_~)

Fey said goodbye to Liam and Greg, and the three went their separate ways. Greg had to hide Liam from the horde of girls again. 

"I owe you." Liam said sleepily. 

"You seem more tired than you normally are. Are you all right?" Greg asked his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was up late doing homework." Liam admitted. Greg nodded. His friend had had a difficult time yesterday. Even though Sahara wasn't a close friend, she was Fey's close friend. After everyone had left the Winner mansion, most got very little sleep. 

"Okay, see you later, man." Greg said, going to his first period.

"Later." Liam said, going to his. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fey:

The night before, Fey had gotten little sleep. Sahara's condition worried her. _What if she tries it again? Why didn't she tell us about this? Why would she do such a thing? _Millions of questions floated about inside of her mind. She paid little attention to what was going on in her classes. Finally, after what seemed like decades, lunchtime came. 

Fey rushed to the cafeteria, and sat down with the lunch she had prepared that morning. Sahara was already there, with her packed lunch, as was Naeva. Sakura was in line, getting lunch. There was an awkward silence while they waited for Sakura to come. Never before had Fey been so silent. Finally, the half Chinese girl appeared, and sat down. 

Fey was the first one to speak.

"Why, Sahara?" She asked. Her blond friend sighed, looking down at her sky blue dress. 

"I was stupid. I know that all of you thought that I'm perfect, but I'm not. Xanto is perfect. My parents were always proud of him." 

"They were proud of you too, Sahara! You are one of the top students in the school! That's one thing that you have, and Xanto doesn't." Sakura said. 

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fey asked, tears in her eyes.

"Fey…" Sahara began.

"You could've told us! Aren't we your friends? Why did you hide this from us?" She asked, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"I…I was afraid." Sahara admitted. Her eyes had a faraway look in them when she spoke. "I was afraid that you wouldn't want to be friends if I told you." 

"Sahara, we'll always be here for you. Next time, don't do something so stupid. Talk to us if you have a problem." Sakura said. 

"Nobody is perfect. You don't have to be somebody that you're not." Naeva said, speaking at last. 

"I know. I'm sorry you guys. I promise that I'll never do something like that again." Sahara apologized.

"Good." They all said in unison. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Liam:

From first period to third period, Liam mostly slept. He continued to sleep when the teachers weren't watching, until lunchtime came. 

"Liam, you look tired." Jason said. 

"I _am_ tired." The purple haired boy said, yawning. His sapphire blue eyes had a dull shine to them, indicating that he had gotten little sleep. 

"And what could have kept you up so late?" A new voice asked. All heads turned to see a girl walking towards the table with a lunch tray in hand. Her black hair was down, and her golden eyes shone merrily. She wore a silver shirt that ended just above her navel. The sleeves were long, and she wore black pants and black knee-length boots to go with her outfit. 

"Hey Lacienega." Liam said, smiling. 

"You must be happy. Your eyes are gold." Greg commented. The girl laughed.

"You bet! Anyway, sorry that I've been out. It seems that I caught the flu. I'm better now, though." She replied, gracefully taking a seat next to Liam.

"What kept you up so late?" She asked, repeating her question. 

"One of Fey's friends tried to commit suicide. She's all right though. We were all really worried, but thankfully, she woke up." Liam explained. 

"Fey…isn't she your other best friend?" The girl called Lacienega questioned. Liam nodded.

"Why don't you and Greg come over to my party? I'll introduce you to my other friends there." Liam suggested.

"When _is_ your birthday, anyway?" She asked, picking at her food. 

"December 3rd." Greg and Liam both said at the same time. Lacienga laughed.

"That's not too far away. Well, I gotta go back to chat with my girls. See ya, boys!" She said, waving as she went. 

"Dude, you know _Lacienega_?" One of the boys at Liam's table asked him.

"Yeah, so does Greg. What's the big deal?" He wondered aloud. 

"Hello, she's like, one of _the_ most popular girls in 12th grade!" One of the guys said. 

"I never really notice if my friends are popular or not." Liam said, shrugging. He finished the rest of his lunch without saying another word.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Naeva:

Though she didn't show it, Naeva was deeply worried about Sahara. She was glad when her friend promised to never do anything like that again. _Judging by the look on her face, she was serious_. She thought. She sighed slightly, and walked along. 

Her dark hair was down, as usual, and the electric blue highlights stood out. She was wearing a black shirt that had _Goth_ written on it in dark purple letters, long black pants, and boots. On her left hand was a black glove that had the fingers cut off, so that her own protruded through the holes. (AN: And this is _Relena's_ girl…) 
    
    Nobody knows what she's holding back,
    It's hard to see the pain behind the mask,
    Bearing the burden of a secret storm,

Sometimes she wishes she was never born

Naeva walked down the hallways, her mask never slipping once. Nobody knew what she felt; nobody could tell whether or not she was happy or sad. She hardly ever smiled, and thought that emotions were useless. 
    
    Through the wind and the rain

She stands hard as a stone,

Concrete angel.

Yes, that's what Naeva Yuy was: a concrete angel. No matter what happened, she never wavered. She always kept her feelings in check. There was a barrier around her heart, much like there had once been around Heero's. 

As she walked down the hallway, people would whisper, and she would keep walking. Such was the life of Naeva Yuy. She had a job. She worked at a store called _Goth Glory_, and generally fit right in. Occasionally, a couple of children would wander in, and run out upon seeing Naeva. 

Her pay was seven dollars an hour, which was pretty good, since she worked on the weekdays. Red earned money driving around, and contributed what he earned to Liam's gift. By the end of the week, they had four hundred fifty dollars. 

After work, Naeva went home, and began to work on her homework. It was like this every day; Naeva went to school, worked after school, then went home. It was a Friday night, and she was feeling particularly bored. Her homework was finished, and she was talking to Sakura, Fey, and Xanto in a chat room.

__

Midnight130 has just signed in.

__

Midnight130: Hi.

__

Sugarhigh: Hiya, Naeva!! ^_^

__

KatanaGurl14: Hi Naeva!

__

Midnight130: Are there more ppl coming?

__

Sugarhigh: Yup! I invited Xanto!

__

Midnight130: …

__

KatanaGurl14: Fey, how much sugar did you have today? ^^;

__

Sugarhigh: Um…I had a brownie, then three cookies, milk, a Hershey bar, a handful of M&Ms, and…

__

KatanaGurl14: Okay, I get it. You can stop now.

__

Sugarhigh: Okie dokie!

__

Midnight130: …

__

KatanaGurl14: You doing anything tonight, Naeva_?_

Midnight130: No.

__

KatanaGurl14: Same here.

__

Sugarhigh: Liam's taking Greg and I to see a movie!! ^_^

Angelboy9 has just signed in. 

Sugarhigh: Hi Xanto!!

__

Angelboy9: Lol, you're hyper, as usual, Fey. Hey Sakura. Who's the other person?

__

Midnight130: Naeva.

__

Angelboy9: …oh.

__

Midnight130: If you don't want me here, just say so.

__

Angelboy9: We want you here.

__

Sugarhigh: Yeah!

__

KatanaGurl14: Yeah!

__

Sugarhigh: Liam's honking. G2g!

__

KatanaGurl14: Bye Fey!

__

Angelboy9: Bye!

__

Midnight130: Bye.

__

Sugarhigh has signed out.

Angelboy9: So…you ladies doing anything?

__

KatanaGurl14: Not tonight. I can't go anywhere. I have to help clean the house_. _

Angelboy9: I'm the only one here that's awake. Mom and Dad are taking a nap. Sahara's not here.

__

KatanaGurl14: Where is she?

__

Angelboy9: She's on a date ;)

__

Midnight130: A date?

__

KatanaGurl14: With who?!

__

Angelboy9: *grins* With Tim.

__

Midnight130: Tim **Barton**?

__

Angelboy9: Yep. They left around 3.

__

KatanaGurl14: Where are they going?

__

Angelboy9: To have dinner at his house.

__

KatanaGurl14: Aww…that's so sweet!

__

Midnight130: …

__

Angelboy9: I know :D

__

Midnight130: What time is it?

__

KatanaGurl14: 4:00. Srry guys, I g2g. My parents want me to clean my room. 

__

Midnight130: That sux. Bye_._

Angelboy9: Bye, Sakura!

__

KatanaGurl14: Bye!

__

KatanaGurl14 has signed out. 

__

Angelboy9: It seems that everyone else has something to do. I'm so bored!

__

Midnight130: Same here. I'm done with my homework.

__

Angelboy9: Wanna come over and watch a movie?

__

Midnight130: There's no way my dad will let me.

__

Angelboy9: My mom just woke up.

__

Midnight130: I'll ask. Brb.

__

Angelboy9: Ok.

__

Midnight130: My parents said it's okay as long as your mom is there.

__

Angelboy9: You can come? Cool!

__

Midnight130: I don't have anything better to do.

__

Angelboy9: Oh. I'll pick you up, okay?

__

Midnight130: Fine. Just…don't make it look like a date. It's not_._

Angelboy9: Okay…

Midnight130 has signed out.

__

Angelboy9 has signed out. 

__

Naeva couldn't believe that her parents were actually letting her go over to a guy's house. 

"Don't get so excited just because I said yes." Heero said, said, sitting down beside Naeva at the window. 

"I'm not excited." Naeva said. 

"You're too much like me."

"And yet not like you at all." Naeva answered. "Why did you let me go?" She asked, looking at her father. Heero sighed.

"I'm not worried about Xanto. I trust him." Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"I'm going. Tell Mom to leave some dinner for me." Naeva said, going to Xanto. 

The Winner mansion (the one that was in the Cinq Kingdom anyway) was not very far away from the Yuy house. Xanto had apparently rode his bike. 

"Don't mind those guys. They're just extra security. I'm supposed to take over Dad's business, and he doesn't want anything to happen to me."

"If Mom had kept her position as Vice Foreign Minister, I'd have the same security." Naeva answered. 

"I brought Mom's car instead of the limo. Just like you requested." Xanto said, flashing Naeva his adorable smile. Naeva did not respond. 

The ride was silent, and continued that way throughout the movie. 

"Did you see the way that Legolas shot his arrows?" Xanto asked incredulously. (AN: Hehe)

"Yeah. The wraiths were pretty sweet." Naeva answered. 

"They're supposed to be _evil_, Naeva!" Xanto exclaimed. She shrugged.

"I think that Frodo was my favorite character." 

"Why?" Naeva looked out at the stars beyond the window of Xanto's enormous living room.

"Because we both suffer from a wound within." Naeva said cryptically. There was an awkward silence. Then: "What's it like to be surrounded by loving parents, a sibling your age, and lots of money?" Xanto stared at her. He did not expect Naeva to ask such a question.

"It's lonely. Sahara has Tim now, and I know my parents love me. I have to take care of Sahara, even though she's not my real sister. I love her, and I don't want her to attempt suicide again." He answered softly.

"I had a sister once. Did you know that? No, I suppose you didn't." Naeva said randomly. "She was beautiful. She was very much like my real mother. She died in Italy when I was five. Her name was Gratia. When she was alive, she inspired people to do what they were afraid to do. I have no idea why I'm telling you this." Naeva said after a long pause. She looked up, and caught Xanto's gaze.

__

Why is my skin tingling? Is the poison acting up again? Then perhaps it is the poison that makes my heart beat so quickly…Naeva thought. Suddenly, images began to flash through her mind. 

"I have to go. See you later." Naeva said, getting up quickly. Xanto followed her to the door.

"I'll take you home." Xanto offered. 

"No. I'll walk." 

"But it's not safe at night…"

"I will walk." Naeva repeated. 

"Promise me that you'll be careful." Xanto said, locking eyes with Naeva.

"I will." The dark haired girl said, walking away. 

__

I've got to get home…Naeva thought. Luckily, she got home before the poison began to work again. 

***Flashback***

__

Your parents are dead. Her uncle said. 

__

"You killed them." Naeva said, glaring at her uncle.

__

Naeva, what are you doing here?

"**YOU KILLED MAMA AND PAPA!**" She shouted. Her uncle had beaten her in her sister's absence, and she was covered in bruises. Her leg had been badly bruised, and she limped slightly. 

__

Foolish girl. Your parents and your sister died because they would not tell me where the gundam parts are hidden. You shall share their fate if you do not tell me. 

"I _won't_ tell you! I'll _never_ tell you!" Naeva cried. Her uncle slapped her. 

"The reason the gundams were destroyed was to keep peace! I may be five, but I still understand. Trying to rebuild the gundams will only result in more war!" 

__

You're starting to sound like that Relena Peacecraft of the Cinq Kingdom. 

"I'm going back to Heero." 

__

Heero? Heero Yuy, the gundam pilot? 

"He's taking me away. He's my new Papa now." Naeva cried, running away. 

***End Flashback***

Naeva felt lightheaded. After the flashbacks, she always blacked out. _I've got to make it back to my room…_She thought, trudging towards the stairs. She collapsed right in front of her door.

~~~~~~~

Cliffhanger? Mwhahaha! In a way, yes! How did ya like the chat room part? Hehe, this is my New Year's present to all of ya!! ^_^ Isn't Xanto so sweet??

Song used (for the Sahara segment):

The Places That You've Come to Fear the Most by Dashboard Confessional.

(for the Naeva segment):

Concrete Angel by Martina McBride

Stay tuned 'til the next chappy!!


	7. Self Confessions

Chapter 6: Self-Confessions

Hi again, and welcome back to _RtM! _So, how are you liking the story so far? (hehe, I feel like Yû Watase, manga-ka of Fushigi Yûgi.) Anyways, I think that this chapter will let you in on the thoughts not of everyone's _heart_. I don't mean that in a literal sense. ^^() I mean, how everyone feels about everyone else. I wonder if each character has a fan? I _know_ that Xanto and Liam have a fan (Micro-Chick), lol. And she also mentioned that she liked Naeva too.

I really love feedback! Tell me who your fave char is!

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing chars belong to Sotsu and Sunrise and al l those other great companies.** Gundam kids and Red belong to me, Kathryn Love. Lacienega belongs to Micro-Chick.** Steal any of my chars, and I'll fling you off Mt. Fuji tied up in dental floss! Steal Micro-Chick's char, and **SHE** will tie you up (and possibly blind you with a camera, and cut you with scissors), and _I'll_ throw you off Mt. Fuji! *waves* bai-bye!

(Please note: The above was not a threat. It was a joke. Plz don't kill me ^^;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva:

When she opened her eyes, she found her parents and sibling looking worriedly at her. 

"I'm fine." She growled. 

"No you are not. Tell us the truth Naeva: what's wrong with you?" Heero demanded.

"Heero, don't say it like that! There's nothing wrong with her!" Relena said defensively. 

"My uncle poisoned me. My body can fight the poison, but it won't be long until it takes over. I've been able to control its effects for ten years, but they're coming back." Naeva confessed.

"Are you going to die?" Damon asked, giving his sister a pathetic stare.

"Eventually, yes. I need to make sure that my uncle never finds out where the gundam parts my parents made are. I can't get it treated yet. I promise that I will as soon as I hunt him down." 

"Do your friends know?" Heero questioned. 

"No." 

Heero sighed, running his hands through his chocolate colored hair. 

"What are we going to say when you have an attack? Naeva, this isn't healthy. You _need_ to get it treated. Sally can help…" He trailed off when he saw his daughter's expression.

"I'll tell them myself when the time is right."

"But…what if we lose you?" Relena questioned tears in her eyes. 

"I am not afraid to die." Naeva said simply. Then, she got up. 

"Heero, what are we going to do?" Naeva heard her mother say worriedly. 

"Trust her. She knows what she's doing. Naeva is like me-she's stubborn. We can't change her mind." Heero answered. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xanto:

"Okay, how does this sound? Hi Naeva, this is Xanto. I was just wondering if you'd like to spend the day with me. Not like a date or anything, just a trip to a restaurant, alone…okay, it is a date. Will you go with me?" Xanto was in his room, pacing. Tim was sitting on his friend's computer chair, listening to the shorter boy rant. 

"Dude, you sound like a total idiot." Tim said, laughing. 

"Okay, so I'm not like you. I can't just waltz up to a girl and have her all over me." Xanto said, pouting. Tim began to laugh all over again.

"Have you ever tried just being yourself?"

"Well…no. But she won't like the real me. The real me is far too sensitive for her." The Winner boy admitted. 

"You've got to be _confident_. I was more worried about your sister than anything else. I didn't care if she rejected my company, I just accepted that she needed me, whether she wanted to admit it or not." Tim said. 

"But my sister is not Naeva! Naeva doesn't like people. It's as if…she distances herself from possible affection on purpose." Xanto said sadly. Tim put a hand on his friend's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, Naeva is only human. Whether she'll admit it or not, she still has a heart, and still has feelings. I gotta go. See ya." Tim got up, and left. 

"See ya." Xanto said softly. 

Xanto had always thought of Fey, Sakura, and Naeva as his sisters. They were always over at his mansion when they were younger. He still thought as Fey and Sakura as his sisters, but Naeva…? It seemed that their day of cleaning together brought a whole new light to her. His heart fluttered when he recalled her face that day.

The more he thought about her, the more time he wanted to spend with her. _How do I tell Naeva? _He thought. It seemed that his parents noticed his sudden change in disposition. 

"Xanto, honey, is something wrong?" Catherine asked her son.

"You don't seem as cheerful today." Quatre commented worriedly. 

"What? Oh, I'm fine." Xanto said, absently playing with his food. "I'm just tired." He said, smiling. His smile was sad, and revealed that he had been pondering the same thing for quite a while.

He put his dish in the 'dishwasher', and retreated to his room. Sahara (who had been studying in her room most the day) smiled knowingly. 

"It's all right, Mom and Dad. Xanto is simply suffering from the knowledge that his hormones are finally getting a hold of him." She said, grinning.

"Which means…?" Quatre asked.

"Which means that our Xan is in love!" Sahara answered a twinkle in her eye.

Xanto smiled to himself as he trudged up the stairs. 

"Love…that's what this feeling is. I'm in love with Naeva Yuy." He whispered to himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fey:

The movie that Fey went to see with Liam and Greg was good, but that's not what mattered to her. What mattered was that Fey was with Liam. There was place she'd rather be. His sapphire blue eyes had a way of shining that made Fey want to laugh when she was sad. His smile made Fey want to leap with joy. 

Greg had gone home, and now it was just Liam and Fey. They were laughing as the Peacecraft boy walked Fey to her door.

"Thank you for a great time, Liam." Fey said. She was grateful for the darkness, for a blush crept across her cheeks. 

"Hey, no problem. I had fun today." He said, smiling. 

"Liam?" Fey asked softly.

"Yes?" He asked, looking down at her. 

"Nevermind. Goodnight." And with that said, she went inside, leaving a bewildered Liam standing at her door. 

Sighing, Fey held a hand to her heart. _I chickened out again._ She thought. _Why can't I just say it?! Only three words…okay, four. I only had to say four words! 'I love you, Liam.' _Sighing, she decided to write in her diary before the event faded from her memory. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

The next day….

(AN: And now…a look into Red's life!)

Red:

"Mom, I'm home!" Red called. It had been quite a while since he'd seen his mother. He hardly had any time to visit her, but he promised that for winter vacation, he'd come. He wanted to surprise her by dropping by a little early. 

"Is that you, Red?" A blond woman asked, looking up at her son. "Why, I have to look up at you now!" She cried. Red enveloped her in a hug. 

"I just thought I'd drop by a bit early." He said, grinning. 

"You look just like your father. I sure hope you're not like him. How many hearts have you broken?" Dorothy (AN: Surprise!) asked, smiling sadly. 

"None, Mom. I'm not like Dad. I'll die before I leave any girl-much less you-alone."

"So…I hear you've gotten to see Relena a lot. The last time I saw her was…I don't even remember! How is she doing?" Dorothy asked, walking into the living room of her rather large house. 

"_Mrs. Yuy_ is doing fine." Red said, all grins again. Dorothy spun around to look at her son. 

"Mrs. Yuy? What a surprise. Too bad I wasn't at the wedding." 

"You don't like weddings. Mrs. Yuy asked if you wanted to come, but you said no." Red reminded. Dorothy shook her head. He knew far more than he let on. 

"Am I that transparent? You're right, I don't like weddings. Your father left right after you were born. So…tell me all about the gundam children." Red looked oddly at his mother.

"I've never heard anyone call them that before. Anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Yuy have two kids, Naeva and I think her little brother's name is Darron…or Damon. Something like that. I think Naeva was adopted. I don't know her that well." 

Dorothy plopped herself down on a plush couch. She was fairly rich, and though it was barely noticeable, she went at great lengths to keep herself beautiful. She wore a black top and black pants, with slide on dress shoes. 

"And Mr. and Mrs. Winner also have two kids. Sahara, who's really smart, and Xanto. Mr. and Mrs. Barton have two kids, I don't remember their names, and Liam is Mr. and Mrs. Peacecraft's son." Red explained. 

"So much going on that I don't know about." Dorothy sighed. "Ah well. As long as I have my boy back." She said, smiling. 

"Well, I better be going. I'll see you over Winter Break." Red said, kissing his mother on the cheek, and ducking out the door. _I think I'll call Sakura…_He thought. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura:

"I am _so_ glad that my room is clean!" She said, gasping for breath. She glared angrily at the once messy floor that had stolen a Friday night and an after school day from her. 

"I could've had fun, but instead I had to clean _you_." She told her room.

"Well it paid off! It looks wonderful!" Sally said, coming behind her daughter. 

"Yes, it looks as if one can actually get in there without killing themselves." Wufei commented, smiling. 

Sakura swatted at her father, who easily dodged it.

"Can I have my life back now?" She pleaded. 

"Yes, sure. Isn't Liam's birthday coming up soon? Do you have enough money?" Sally asked. 

"We're going out and buying it today. _That's_ why I want to go." 

Sakura jumped up when her parents nodded. She went to the comphone downstairs, and dialed Fey's number. Duo appeared on the screen instead.

"Hi Sakura! You want me to get Fey?" Duo asked. 

"Please and thank you." She said, grinning. Sakura waited as Duo called for his daughter. Finally, she came down. 

"Hey Sakura." 

"Hey, we were going to look at laptops for you-know-who today. Do you know how much we have?" 

"Sahara just called to say that her parents are contributing a thousand dollars. She said the total is two thousand four hundred fifty dollars." Fey said. 

"Okay, we only need 550 more dollars. Where are we going to get that money?" 

Suddenly, the comphone beeped. "Fey, hold on. There's someone else on the line." She pressed a button, and Naeva's face popped up on the screen in a window that opened right next to Fey's.

"Did you say you needed $550?" Naeva asked. 

"Yeah." Fey sighed.

"Good. 100, 250…550." She said, counting out a pile of bills.

"**NO WAY**! Where'd you get that money?" 

"Secret." Naeva answered.

"Sweet! Let's go get that laptop!" Fey you call Sahara and Xanto. I'll call Red, and Naeva, you can call Tim."

"Right." The two other girls said in unison. Then, Sakura turned the comphone off. Suddenly, Red called. 

"Hey." He said, grinning on the screen.

"Hey." Sakura said, grinning as well.

"What did Sahara say?" Sakura relayed the information to her friend.

"Hey Sakura?" Red asked.

"Yeah?" 

"Nevermind. I was just curious about where Naeva got the extra money." Sakura blushed. _Oh. I should have known that he'd say something like that._

"She didn't say. See you later." 

"See ya."

__

Baka (idiot)! Why were you blushing? That was a weak thing to do! What would Dad think? Sakura's mind yelled. She buried her face in her hands.

__

Yes, but I can't control the way I feel. It's not my fault...A tear fell. _Why am I crying over him?!_

"It's _not _my fault that I love him!" She choked out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALL: (minus Liam)

By 4:00 P.M., all of the gundam kids, plus Red (minus Liam) were gathered at Sahara and Xanto's mansion. 

"Got the money?" Red asked. Sahara held up the container of bills and coins.

"Right here."

"Let's buy a laptop." Xanto said in a very spy-like manner. They all laughed, and piled into Xanto and Sahara's limo.

Soon, they arrived at the mall. 

"Here's the plan. I'll keep the laptop at my house, and on the day of the party, I'll give it to you, Naeva. Then, you'll bring it to the party, got it?" Sahara asked.

"Got it." Naeva answered. 

They strode in with $3000 and walked out with a laptop. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam: 

Date: December 3rd

Time: 6:00pm

Today was the day. The fateful day that Liam Peacecraft would celebrate his 19th birthday. Soon, he would be going off to college. He had all of his invitations ready. By the end of the day, he had given out all of his invitations. His birthday fell on a Friday this year; a good thing. 

The party guests were supposed to arrive at eight, but Liam supposed that most would come at around nine or ten. When he got home, his family had a mini party for him. Then, the time came. Only Greg, the other guys, and Lacienega had a gift. 

Liam was too excited to notice the secret signals passing between the others. The way Sahara jerked her head, and Naeva nodded wordlessly. He didn't notice until it was time to open presents. Naeva had disappeared, and did not return until she was sure he had opened all of his presents.

"There's one more present." She said, handing it to him.

He read the tag:

__

To Liam

From: Sahara, Xanto, Naeva, Red, Sakura, Tim, and Fey

He unwrapped it, and gasped. A laptop. He had wanted one for so long. Ever since he sent that e-mail that brought his aunt and uncle together. 

"Where did you get the money?" He questioned. 

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Winner helped. So did your parents." Fey piped up. 

"I worked." Naeva said.

"So did I!" Red and Xanto exclaimed together.

"Thanks you guys. Now, I've got to introduce everyone. I know that I'm a bit late, but as long as everyone knows everyone else, that's okay. We'll start with Lacienega. Everyone, this is Lacienega Moran (pronounced More-an). She's a friend of mine. You already know Greg Laurence (AN: You didn't think he _had_ a last name, did ya? Hehe)." 

"Lacienega Moran?"

"Yes. Have you heard of me?" The black haired girl asked. 

"Of course! You're like, major popular!" Fey cried. Lacienega's eyes turned red in embarrassment. Liam went through, and introduced everyone, until it was time to leave. 

"Valentine's is coming up!" Sahara said excitedly, leaning against Tim. He grinned. 

"Oh great! Not that it's a _bad_ holiday…it's just…TOO MUCH PINK!" Lacienega groaned. 

"Pink scares me." Naeva declared.

"Me too! I _hate_ it!" Lacienega agreed. They all laughed. 

Sahara and Xanto left, offering everyone a ride home in their limo. A couple accepted, but a handful declined. Fey was one of them. She decided to stay behind. It _was _her best friend's birthday after all. 

"Thank you for the laptop. I bet it was your idea." Liam said, grinning. Fey blushed. 

"N-no. It was more Sahara and Sakura's idea." She stammered. Liam stared. Since when did Fey stutter? 

"Happy Birthday, my prince." She whispered, kissing him on his cheek. Liam's heart began to beat faster. 

~~~~~~~~

Greg:

Greg, Lacienega, Naeva, and Fey were the ones who decided to walk. The other three talked, but Naeva distanced herself from them. Greg watched her. 

"Hey." He said, coming to stand next to her. She was taller than him by an inch and half.

"Hi." She replied in her monotone. 

"So…did you see the way that Sahara and Tim acted? Man, they must really like each other." Naeva smiled sadly, and put a hand on Greg's shoulder. 

"Never fall in love." She warned, then walked off. Greg was stunned for a moment by her out-of-character action. He recovered quickly. 

"Too late," He whispered, watching her walk away. "I've already fallen in love with you."   
~~~~~~~

Lacienega:   


She heard everything that was said. Even Greg's whisper. A frown came across her smooth features. Her eyes turned blue. 

"What's wrong?" Fey asked. "You're eyes are blue." Lacienega silently cursed. Technology was very advanced in their time. Her eyes changed color depending on her mood, thanks to a special type of contact. 

"I-it's nothing." She said, her eyes turning back to gold. Fey began to ramble, but Lacienega's mind was focused on something-or someone-else. _Greg…_She thought. She had a hard time keeping her eyes gold when she knew that they should be dark blue, which stood for deep sorrow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Um…this chapter ended very _angstily (is that a word?)_. Anywayz, hope you liked! Review plz! I love reviews! They're my motivation for the next chapter! *hint, hint*

-Kat Love


	8. After Winter Break

Chapter 7: Back from Winter Break

Hello everyone! How has your weekend been? I've been GREAT! I spent over $100 on anime stuff ^^; Heh. I bought the 2nd volume of MKR (Magic Knights Rayearth), Clover vol. 2 and 3, Fushigi Yûgi vol. 4, Mars vol. 1, Chobits vol.3, Wish vol.2 & 3, and Planet Ladder vol. 1. AND I got the first DVD of Fruits Basket! It has 6 episodes on it. Plus…I recently got the LotR: TTT game. I was really…"busy." (Aka: Playing the game so much, she forgot all about her stories ^^;) 

I'm **so** sorry for the long wait!! 

In this chapter, it seems that emotions are becoming more and more…complicated. 

Warnings: None. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam:

The week after Liam's birthday came and went. Before any of the gundam kids knew it, winter break had started.

Liam couldn't stop thinking about what Fey had said to him the night of his party, even though it was far away. When he saw her, she just pretended that everything was okay. But it wasn't. Liam noticed how much Fey was beginning to avoid him over the break. When he called her and asked her to come over, she made excuses.

She never mentioned the night of his party, and never elaborated on what she started to say. He decided to call her again today. It was only the second day of vacation, and Liam was getting worried.

"Hey Mrs. Maxwell, is Fey there?" Liam asked when her face came on the screen of the comphone.

"No, she just left."  
"Oh. Thank you Mrs. Maxwell. Have a nice day." Liam said forlornly. 

"Same to you, sweetie." Sarah said, hanging up. 

__

Mrs. Maxwell is so nice. She's always smiling, and there's a lot of love in Fey's family. Of course, there's a lot of love in my family too. Auntie Lena really loves me. She tells people that she loves them every day. She leaves messages, and when we play them, she's always saying that she loves us with a smile. But what if…you **don't**_ feel happy when you love someone?_

Millions of questions searching for answers filled Liam's mind. He could hardly concentrate on getting his homework over with. He finally gave up, and opened up his laptop. It had high speed Internet with a wireless modem. 

He signed on, and found himself in a chatroom with Fey and Sahara.

__

Prince_Liam3: Hi guys!

__

Angelboy9: Hiya!

__

SweetGal14: Hey! I'm at Tim's house. Don't worry, we're about to go ice skating soon J 

__

Angelboy9: How are you enjoying your new laptop?

__

Prince_Liam3: I love it!! ^_^

__

SweetGal14: That's great!! Oops, gotta go! We're going skating now. Bye!

__

Prince_Liam3: See ya!

__

Angelboy9: L8r, sis ^_^

__

SweetGal14 _has just signed out_.

__

Angelboy9: So…have any plans with Fey today?

__

Prince_Liam3: I heard something about her yesterday.

__

Angelboy9: What was it?

__

Prince_Liam3: I can't stand Fey, she's so annoying! She's just too perky! She _never _frowns!

__

Sugarhigh has just signed in.

__

Prince_Liam3: Oh, hi Fey!

__

Angelboy9: Hello Fey ^_^

__

Sugarhigh: …

__

Prince_Liam3: So, you want to go to the movies or the mall?

__

Sugarhigh: No. I'm too 'annoying.'

__

Prince_Liam3: What are you talking about? Of course you're not!

__

Sugarhigh: You just said so yourself. Thanx for sharing your deepest feelings, Liam!

__

Prince_Liam3: No, you've got it all wrong! 

__

Sugarhigh: You've got _that_ right. I was so stupid! I can't believe I actually thought…nevermind. If you want to see me frown, you've got it! I'm never talking to you ever again, Liam Peacecraft!!

__

Prince_Liam3: Fey, that was just something that…

Sugarhigh has signed out.

Prince_Liam3: …that I heard. 

__

Angelboy9: She used your full name…she must be really upset.

__

Prince_Liam3: I don't get it. Fey isn't the type of person to get mad like that. 

__

Angelboy9: You really are blind to it, aren't you?

__

Prince_Liam3: Blind to what?

__

Angelboy9: For her sake, I shall not say. You will have to find out for yourself. 

__

Prince_Liam3: But-

__

Angelboy9: See ya.

__

Angelboy9 has just signed out.

Liam stared at his screen, then signed off. 

"Why does that keep happening to me?" He asked. Sighing, he decided to call Fey. She pretended to be excited…until her mom left. 

"Fey, are you mad at me?" Liam asked softly. 

"No, I'm not. And since you asked, I'll tell you how _I _really feel. I can't stand your popularity. It makes me sick the way the girls cling to your arms, and fall at your feet. All hail Prince Liam!" Fey said sarcastically. 

"Fey, you're making a big mistake…" 

"You're right, I am. I shouldn't even be talking to you. The biggest mistake I ever made was thinking that you actually cared about me. I see now that I was wrong. I'm just a friend to fill in the empty space. "

And with that said, she hit the off button, and her face disappeared from the comphone screen. 

"Fine. If that's the way she wants it, then she'll get it!" He said immaturely. Deep down, however, a prayer was being made:

__

Dear God, please show me what to do. I want to stay friends with Fey, but I don't think she wants to be my friend anymore. She promised that we'd always be friends…I don't want to lose her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xanto:

After talking to Liam on the Internet, Xanto decided to see if anybody else was free. He sincerely hoped that Naeva was free. 

"Oh my, are you _blushing_ Xan?" A happy voice asked. 

"You seem happy, Ara." He said, knowing it was his sister. She laughed. 

"I know a subject change when I see one…I'll let it slip for now. Anyway, Tim gave me this necklace. Isn't it lovely?" She held up a golden locket in the shape of a heart. 

In tiny gold swirly letters, it said: _My Love_ on it. 

"Ah, but it does not do your lovely face justice!" Xanto said, knowing what his sister's response would be.

"Hey! That's exactly what Tim said!" She said, smiling. 

"I know. It's like him to say something like that." 

"We went ice skating, and it was so fun!" 

Xanto smiled. However, deep down, he was worried. _Now that Sahara has Tim, she wouldn't attempt suicide right…or is she just pretending to love Tim? _

"Ara, I have to ask you something." 

"Hmm?" 

"Do you love Tim?" She stared at her adopted brother for a while. 

"Yes, I love him very much." She answered quietly. 

"Are you sure?"

"Xan, what's up with the questions?"

"I'm worried about you Ara. It's my job as your older brother." Xanto answered. (AN: He's older by nine months)

"I promise that I won't commit suicide again." She said. 

Sighing, he gave up on the questioning, and decided to call Naeva. Damon answered the phone. 

"Hi Xanto! Do you want me to go get Naeva?" He asked. Xanto smiled. 

"Yes, please do." A couple of minutes later, she came to the phone. She didn't look happy either.

"This better be important, or I will kill you. I was sleeping." Naeva growled. Xanto sweatdropped. 

"Well…it's not really important…"

"Tell me." Naeva demanded in her usual monotone.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the mall, and since you seem tired, I'll let you go…" Xanto said, about to hang up.

"Fine. You woke me up. I have nothing better to do anyway." She said, glaring. 

"Should I send for the limo?"

"If you do, you will never see the light of day again." Naeva threatened. "I'll walk." 

"As you wish, my lady. Just…be careful." He added worriedly.

"Hn." She answered, and clicked off the phone. Xanto nearly melted into a puddle near the phone. He was going to spend time with Naeva! How should he act? Would she notice that he was acting differently? What if she got angry, and never spoke to him again? What if…

__

ENOUGH! 

Xanto's mind cried. There were far too many questions. _Just go and have a good time. _He told himself. The doorbell rang, and he answered it. Naeva stood before him dressed black pants, boots, and a shirt with flames on it. Over the shirt, she wore a black trench coat. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva:

She glared at Xanto when she arrived.

"Let's go." She demanded. Xanto smiled.

"As you wish my lady." He said. He was about to lead her into the limo, when she stopped him, and pointed to a small black car parked near his driveway. It had dark purple flames, and Xanto could see that Liam was inside, waving. 

"This is the car that my parents bought me. It's really for my birthday, so Liam drives it since I don't have a license yet." Naeva explained. 

"Hey, Xanto!" Liam said, smiling. 

"Hey!" Xanto replied, equally as cheerful. _Everyone seems to look up to Liam…I suppose I don't get it 'cause he's my cousin and all…_Naeva thought. 

"Don't worry, I'll only be driving you there. Otherwise, you've got all the time you want alone." Liam said, grinning. 

"Liam…if you say anything like that again, I will have to kill you." Naeva said in a low, dangerous voice that was barely audible. Liam sweatdropped. 

"O-okay. I'm just driving you there…don't kill the kind-hearted older cousin who sacrificed his time-"

"Be quiet." Naeva ordered. For the rest trip, no one said a word. Which made Naeva happy. She liked silence. 

"We're here!" Liam said cheerfully. Naeva glared. 

"Hn." 

As soon as Liam left, Naeva turned to Xanto. "Where do you want to go?" 

"Wherever you want to go." He responded, smiling. 

"Don't care." She responded in her usual monotone. Xanto grabbed her hand, grinning.

"Then I propose that we go and get our pictures taken!" 

When they came out of the mall, Naeva had a bag of clothes, and a ring that had a rose on it. It was a gift from Xanto. He had a huge smile on his face. 

"Now that we don't have a car, what now?" He asked.

"We walk home." Naeva responded.

"I'll take you home." He offered. 

"…Thank you…" Naeva managed to say.

Naeva nodded. They walked home together, and made it just before the sun set. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sahara:

She knew her brother was worried about her, and she tried to make sure that she didn't do anything stupid. Not only had she scared her family and friends, but she had scared Tim as well. _He thought that he was going to lose me forever. If I had died…I would have never realized how he felt…_She thought to herself.

"Sahara?" A gentle voice asked. She turned around to see Tim. He was wearing a dark green sweater and jeans. It was pretty cold out, so Sahara had donned a white sweater, and white jeans. 

"Hi Tim." She said, smiling. 

"So, where do you want to go?" He whispered. His breath tickled the back of her neck, since he was whispering in her ear. She giggled. 

"Well, it's cold, and couples like to go ice skating when it's cold." She said.

"Ice skating it is, then. Do you know how to?" He questioned.

"Yes, but the real question is, do _you_?" She asked. Tim turned bright red. 

"Well, um…not really." He admitted sheepishly. "I've had bad experiences ice skating before." 

"Well then, I'll help you overcome your fears." Sahara said, smiling. Her dark green eyes twinkled. 

Tim was the person that kept her walking upon the earth. However, there was still an empty void in her heart that even Tim could not fill. _There was something Liam said to me when I first started thinking about killing myself. I think I was thirteen…what was it that he said…?_

***Flashback***

"Sahara, are you all right?" She had been crying and was sitting in a swing in a park near his Aunt's house in hopes of finding Naeva. However, she seemed to be having fun with her brother. 

"I'm fine." She sniffed.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" He asked, sitting on a swing next to her.

"Nobody likes me for me. I'm just there to give everyone answers to last night's homework!" 

"Is that what you think? That's not true Sahara, and you know it. We all love you for you. Naeva isn't the best at showing her emotions, but I can tell that she really admires you. And Xanto would rather die than see you hurt." Liam said. 

"I'm going to get away from all of this forever!" She cried. 

"But is that really the best solution, Sahara? Killing yourself isn't going to make things better; it will only make things worse. When you die, you'll suffer forever." 

"It can't be much worse than my life now." She had said, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

"Sahara, Hell is as bad as it gets. One day, somebody will say that they love you, but even then, your heart will not be filled. I know that you think that life isn't the greatest, but God loves you, and I do too. You're like a little sister to me." Liam said, smiling gently. 

"God doesn't love me." 

"Yes he does. If you ask Him to come into your heart, then you won't feel like you're alone anymore. Even when bad things happen, He'll always be there to comfort you. God is always there. Jesus was born as a human being, and he died for our sins. He died for _us_ Sahara. When you finally understand how much He loves you, I want you to come to church with me." Liam said.

***End Flashback***

Sahara smiled.

_If you ask him to come into your heart, you won't feel like you're alone anymore…I finally understand, Liam. Thank you. _Sahara thought.

__

God, I understand how much you love me. Please, fill the emptiness in my heart. I want to be with you forever. Then, it was as if a great burden had been lifted from her heart. Suddenly, there wasn't any emptiness anymore. 

"Go ask your mom or dad if they can drive us there." Sahara suggested. Nodding, Tim went to ask. A couple of seconds later, he came back with Trowa, who had the keys in his hand. They all got into the Barton's silver Mini-Van. Trowa dropped the two of them off, and smiled slightly. 

"Have fun you two. I'll pick you up at eight." He said, before driving away. 

For two hours, the couple ice skated. Tim fell a couple of times, only to have Sahara pull him up. The music was jazzy and upbeat for a while, then it slowed down to let couples ice skate. 

"Sahara?" Tim asked.

"Hmm?" She didn't turn around. 

"We're the only couple…so far. Who do you think will be next?" Sahara smiled, and turned around. 

"I don't know, Tim. Only God can tell." 

Sahara was skating just a few feet ahead of him, thinking about things. The next day was Sunday. How would she get there? _I suppose I'll call Liam later_. She thought. Suddenly, she felt warm arms envelop her. 

"Aren't the stars beautiful?" She asked, looking up at the sky. 

"Not half as beautiful as you." Tim whispered into her ear. 

"I love you so much, Tim." She said, turning around to face him. A single tear fell from her eyes as she listened to the lyrics.

__

And I still can't believe,

That you came up to me, and said

"I love you."

I love you too.

Now I'm dreaming with you tonight

'Til tomorrow, I'll holding you tight.

And there's no where in the world I'd rather be

Than here in my room, 

Dreaming about you and me.

Sahara smiled. _But I'm not in my room, and this isn't a dream. It's real. _She stared up at Tim.

"Never ever leave me, Sahara." He whispered. 

"I won't. I promise." And then, they kissed. At that moment, tiny, sparkling snowflakes fell from the sky. The spotlight came to rest on them, and a lot of people said 'Awww' in the audience of people who were watching. 

Hand-in-hand, the happy couple left the skating arena. Sahara looked at her watch. It was seven thirty. 

"Feel like getting something?" 

"A hot chocolate. With two straws." She said smiling. Sahara Winner never had a more wonderful winter break. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fey: 

She had been sitting in her room, crying for nearly two hours. _What am I doing? Why am I crying? _She thought. Her heart hurt. Liam never really liked her at all. 

"Why Liam? Why did you play with my heart like that? That was cruel." She whispered, wiping away a tear. 

Sadness was quickly replaced with anger. 

"I said that I wouldn't talk to him, and I don't go back on my word!" She said. "Liam Peacecraft, as of today, I am no longer your friend. You mean _nothing_ to me. NOTHING!" But she knew that was a lie. 

"Why?! Why of all people, did I have to fall in love with one of my best friends?" She asked no one in particular. Soon, Fey had gotten tired from all of her crying. She fell asleep with a broken heart. 

~~~~~~~~~

Well. THAT was more angsty then I intended. Oh well. Sorry for the long wait! Bai!

__

-Infinity


	9. Of Friendship and Love

Chapter 8: Of Friendship and Love

Here it is! Chapter 8! Yeah, half of you are like, "Shut up and get to the story," and the other half are like "Bah. She calls THIS writing?!" ^^() Well…um…don't really know how to present it…so here it is! I DO hope you're happy, Micro-Chick (who I am gonna call MC from now on). I have Lacienega in this chap! And to Sarah-I hope ya like when ya _finally_ get to read this!!

-Lady Infinity 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greg:

Pretty soon, Greg and his family came back from the States, and winter break was over. He was back just in time for the first day back at school.

"Hey Liam, Fey!" He said in an unusually chipper way. 

"Hey." Liam responded dully. 

"Hi." Fey said without any energy. Greg laughed. 

"Man, you guys sure sound dead. I didn't know that Fey could lose _this_ much energy over only a two week break!" He mused aloud. 

The whole way was silent. Nobody talked, except for Greg. He talked non-stop about his trip, and what they did. 

"And then we went snow boarding. Hey, are you guys listening to me? You weren't commenting on anything." He said. 

"What? Oh, I'm sorry Greg. My mind's still in bed. Besides, if I say anything, it would only be 'annoying.'" She said. 

She opened the door, and slammed in shut. And for once, Liam drove away without waving, or saying that he'd see her later. 

"Liam, what happened?" Greg questioned. "You and Fey didn't say a word to each other. Tell me what's going on." 

"There's nothing going on. We're just tired." Liam said, smiling, and parking the car. They both got out, and Liam started chattering away about all that he did.

__

He's covering up. Something happened, and I need to find out what. Greg thought to himself. The day was like any other. Sure, he forgot his locker combo once or twice, but that was just because his brain was still on vacation. Pretty soon, it was lunchtime. 

Lacienega sat with them, and chatted with pretty much everyone. Liam especially. 

"Liam, something is wrong. You and Fey hardly said a word on the way here." Greg said. 

"Nothing is wrong." Liam insisted stubbornly. Cien rolled her eyes. 

"Uh-huh, sure. If you and Fey aren't talking there _must_ be something wrong. Spill it." 

"I wasn't asking you, I was asking **Liam**." Greg said irritably.

"Well excuse me for being concerned about my friends!"

"Since when is Liam your friend?"

"Uh, hello? Since all three of us met last year?" Lacienega reminded him. "What's with you today, Greg? You're acting really weird." She commented.

"I dunno. I guess it's the stress of going back to school." Greg lied. 

Throughout their little spat, Liam remained silent, merely staring at his food. 

"Liam?" Greg asked. 

"Yeah?" He said, looking up.

"Tell us what happened." Lacienega said gently. He could tell she was concerned by the way her eyes changed to purple. He sighed in defeat. 

"I was talking to Xanto in a chat room, and I was telling him about what I heard someone say about Fey. Fey signed on. She thought that I was the one who said that. Now she doesn't want to talk to me." 

"And how do you feel about this?" Greg questioned his best friend. 

"I…I don't know. I guess that I'm angry at her for not telling me why she's angry at me. I don't get it." Lacienega smiled sadly. 

"It seems that everyone around you can see it, except for you." 

"See what?" Liam demanded. She and Greg just exchanged glances, smiling to themselves. 

"If you apologize for whatever it was you did in a nice way, I'm sure she'll forgive you." Lacienega said knowingly. 

The rest of the day, Greg's mind dwelt upon Lacienega's smile. His brain _must_ have still been on vacation…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sahara: 

The next day was just like any other. Tim left cute little notes in the desks that she sat at, and in her locker. They made her smile. She continued to help the people when they needed it, and smiled to everyone, whether she knew them or not. 

"Good afternoon, Naeva, Fey, and Sakura." She said, smiling brightly. 

"Hey! You seem happy! What happened?" Sakura asked, eager for gossip.

"Tim left me a really sweet note in 3rd period science." Sahara replied dreamily.

"Read it aloud!" Fey said. 

"Sahara: Won't you spend the evening with me, mon chere? Meet me at _La Lune_ at 8. Love, Tim."

"I think it's sweet how he leaves notes for you! Does he take French?" Sakura asked. Sahara nodded. 

"I'm so happy for you." Fey said, smiling. 

"Me too." Naeva replied. Sahara smiled to herself. It was good to be back with her friends. She remembered Liam's expression when she appeared at church. 

****Flashback****

"Hi, Liam." 

"Sahara? What are you…?" Liam began; then it hit him. "You remembered what I said?" She smiled. 

"Yeah. Here I am. I want to give my heart to God, Liam." He smiled. 

"Good. All you have to do is pray." 

****End Flashback****

She smiled. Sahara Winner was now a Christian.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fey: 

After Sahara read the letter from Tim, she began to feel bad. Perhaps Liam hadn't meant what he said? Maybe she should have paid more attention to the situation. Sighing, she went back to her locker, and found that there was a note in her locker. She punched in the numbers on the mini computer screen, and the locker swung open. She found a note resting on the top shelf. 

__

Fey,

I would like to apologize for whatever it is I have done. Please take this flower as a token of my apologies. I hope that you will forgive me.

Signed,

Your Prince

Fey found that a purple hyacinth accompanied the letter. She smiled as she smelled it. _He remembered…_She thought.

**Flashback**

"Why do people give roses to the people they love, Auntie Relena?" A sixteen-year-old Liam had asked. 

"Because red roses mean 'I love you.'" Relena said. 

"Do all flowers have meanings? Or do just roses?" 

"All flowers have meanings. Sahara taught me all of them. Do you want me to teach you the language of flowers too?" Fey asked excitedly.

"Why would I need it?" Liam asked. 

"When you give Relly flowers, you can give her the right kind." Fey said, using her nickname for Relena. Liam grinned. 

"Okay!" He agreed. 

"Now, you already know that red roses mean 'I love you.' Purple hyacinths mean 'I'm sorry…'" Fey told Liam.

**End Flashback**

On the way home, Fey smiled. She was back to her old self. She talked to Greg and Liam. When Greg left, it was just them. There was an awkward silence, then:

"Thank you, Liam." 

"For what?" He asked.

"For the flower. For showing that you remembered what I told you." 

"Of course I remembered! How could I forget? You said that it could come in handy, and it did." 

Liam smiled. Fey blushed. 

"Well, here we are. See ya later Fey." 

"Bye Liam." 

When she got in the house she smiled. It felt good to be talking to Liam again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura:

"Red, are you there?" She asked, knocking on the door to his apartment. After a couple of seconds, he came to the door. He smiled. 

"What brings such a lovely young lady to my humble home?" He asked teasingly. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Save it. I was bored. Got any movies?" Red held up a tape.

"I got Chocolat, but I don't know what to do with it…" Sakura snatched it out of his hand before he could continue. 

"I love this movie!" She squealed as she put it in. 

"It's yours." Red said. 

"What?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"It's yours. I bought it for you." Red said, tweaking her nose. She blushed. They settled on the couch, and watched the movie together. Sakura paused it to get a snack. 

"Sakura…there's something I've been meaning to tell you…" Red said. 

"Yes?" 

"I've been thinking about you a lot. Don't say anything. This is hard for me." He said, putting a finger to her lips. He was so close. Sakura could feel him breathing down on her. "I love you!" He blurted out. 

There was a moment of silence after this proclamation. Then, Sakura threw her arms around him. 

"Oh Red…I thought that I was crazy for thinking about you like that! Now I know…I'm not alone." Tears came to her eyes. They leaned forward, and kissed. After their lips came apart, both were breathing hard, as if they had just run a mile. "What will the others think?" Sakura asked, drowning in his blue, blue eyes. 

"The others won't know. Not yet, anyway. We need to know if we're both ready for a relationship. I mean, I've had other girlfriends, but none of them ever compared to you." He whispered. 

"I've only had a couple other boyfriends, but still…I don't think I've ever loved anybody as much as you." She said, hugging him. 

"I don't care what the others think. I don't care if we're ten years apart; I love you!" He said, taking her face into his hands. "And that's all that matters." Sakura nodded, and for a while, they sat in silence, in each others' arms. "I'll take you home," He offered finally.

"I'd like that." Sakura said softly. On the way home, they chatted, just like old times. Except now, everything was different. They had taken their relationship to a new level. 

"Goodnight," He said. He leaned down and kissed her again, before she walked in. 

"Goodnight," She whispered, watching him walk away. Then, she opened the door, and leaned against it, blushing. 

She called her friends, and tried to act as if nothing was up. However, Sahara and Naeva were a bit more perceptive than Sakura had thought. They guessed what had happened by the way her face turned pink at the mentioning of Red's name. 

She made them promise not to tell anyone, and they all promised. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva: 

The attacks were becoming more frequent, and they were getting worse. That particular day one had almost happened during class, but she managed to get to the bathroom before anybody saw. She sighed. If this kept up, people would find out. 

"Naeva, are you all right?" Relena asked, poking her head in her daughter's room. Naeva merely nodded. "You had another attack didn't you? You should really get it treated!" Naeva scowled.

"I've got school now. It's not that bad, seriously Mom. I'll get it treated soon. I promise." Naeva said. Relena sighed. 

"All right. Just be careful Naeva." 

She nodded again, and Relena left. Suddenly, another attack crept up on her. She felt lightheaded, and sat down on her bed. Her head exploded into a splitting headache. Her breathing became labored, and sweat appeared on her face. 

With great effort, Naeva managed to calm the effects of the poison into just a headache. She took a deep breath, and stared at her comphone. _I suppose it's time that I told Fey and Sahara_. She said. She was about to call them, when Sakura called. 

"Hey Sakura!" Fey said. 

"Hello." Sahara said, smiling. 

"Hi." Naeva replied in monotone. 

"So, did you and Red watch a movie?" Fey asked. Sakura blushed slightly. 

"Yeah. We watched Chocolat." 

"Did something happen?" Sahara questioned. 

"N-no, what makes you say t-that?" Sakura stammered. 

"Oh, nothing. Just the fact that your face is pink, and you're stammering." Naeva said sarcastically. 

Sakura sighed. 

"All right, you caught me." She said. 

"Details." Fey demanded, grinning. 

"We were in the middle of the movie, and then Red just randomly said that he loved me. But you can't tell anybody!" Sakura warned. 

"We won't. Besides, you never told anybody that I liked Liam." Fey said. 

"Since we're all revealing our secrets, I have a secret of my own." Sahara said, her eyes glimmering. 

"Really? We promise not to tell!" Sakura said. She smiled. 

"My brother's in love! I don't know who it is yet, but he's _definitely_ got a girl in mind. Personally, I think it's Chelsea, you know the girl who sits next to him in science? She's been calling a lot lately." They all giggled except for Naeva, who hadn't laughed since…forever. 

"I have a secret too." Naeva said. They all stopped laughing, and stared. 

"You're among friends…you can tell us." Sahara said gently. 

"I've been poisoned." She said after a long pause. 

"What? For how long?" Sakura demanded. 

"Since I was five. Ten years." 

"You'll get yourself treated, won't you?" Sahara asked worriedly. 

"Yes." Naeva lied. She did not intend to get treated. If she was alive after she went to Italy, and destroyed the gundam parts that her parents had hidden, _then_ she would get it treated. 

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Fey asked. 

"I didn't want to worry you." Naeva replied. 

"If you promise not to tell Xanto that I told you, then I'll promise not to tell your secrets." Sahara said. 

"I won't tell, if you won't tell mine." Naeva said. 

"Deal!" Fey said.

"All secrets stay with us. We won't talk about them, we'll just keep them right here," Sakura said, pointing to her brain. 

"Or right here," Fey said pointing to her heart, "for _some_ of us." Sakura blushed, and they all giggled. (AN: Again, except for Naeva).


	10. Family Frustrations

Chapter 8: Family Frustrations  


Hiya! Welcome to the 8th chapter of RtM! And to Sarah: WELCOME BACK!! Since it's icky out, I decided to, you know…write. Some of you are probably thinking 'why not play in the snow?' First of all, I don't play in the snow. I do NOT like snow. I HATE it. It's wet and it's cold. Whenever it snows, any muse that I had VANISHES. Half a day of writer's block is HORRIBLE! Of course, some people have it for more than a month, so I shouldn't be complaining. But that's a lot for me. Too much. 

****

This chapter is set in the summer. Why? Because I am** SICK **of all this snow!!

New Ages:

Liam-19, Fey-15, Red-27, Naeva-16, Tim-16, Sahara-16, Xanto-16 (Sakura has not had her bday yet)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine! If it was, all of this would be in the series, and Sarah would be a Gundam char. Gundam 'kids' and Red ARE mine! Lacienega is Micro-Chick's. I'll be angry with you if you steal my chars, but if ya steal Cien, MC AND I will _both_ hunt you down ^^ 

~&~

Fey:

Many months passed, and before she knew it, it was summer. It was a particularly hot day in July, and Fey was bored. There was no school, and nothing to do, so she decided to call Liam. 

"Hey, Liam! Wanna go to the pool or something?" She asked. 

"_Anything_ to get out of this heat." He groaned. Fey giggled. 

"Let's go to the pool!" 

"Fine. I'll be over in half an hour. Naeva borrowed my car to go to the pool too. I have to wait for my parents to get home." 

"Okay! See ya in half an hour!" Fey said, waving cheerfully. 

Half and hour later, Fey found herself at the pool. She also found that she wasn't the only one who had decided to relax and cool off. Sahara and Xanto were there; Sakura and Tim were there as well. 

"Wow! We're all here! Well…_almost_ all of us. Where are Naeva and Red?" Fey questioned.

"Oh, you know Naeva; she's probably at home. Say, did anyone bring a cell phone?" Sahara asked. 

"Yeah, I did." Liam said. "Are you going to call Naeva?" He asked, pulling it out, and handing it to her. Sahara ignored his question and said, 

"Red Hopkins. Sakura Chang." The phone's screen separated into two mini-screens. Red and Naeva's faces popped up. 

"I was sleeping." Naeva said in a dangerous tone. 

"Hiya! Sahara, wasn't it?" Red said, grinning. 

"Yes. We're all here at the pool. Would you like to come?" 

"Sure! I'll be over there in 5 mins!" 

"I'll be there in three." Naeva said.

Sure enough, three minutes later, a black jaguar with dark purple flames painted on it pulled up. Naeva stepped out. She was wearing a black shirt, black pants, and sunglasses. She took them off to reveal her cold blue eyes. 

"Red's right behind me." Naeva said. Sure enough, Red pulled in with his red convertible (AN: Go figure). 

"Hiya ladies!" Red said, a broad grin on his face. "What are we standing around here for? Let's go swimming!" 

And they did. Naeva wore a black swimsuit, and just sat in the sun. 

"We're playing volleyball. You wanna play?" Fey asked. 

"No." Naeva said without opening her eyes. Shrugging, Fey was about to ask Sakura to play, when she saw her talking with Red. _I better not disturb them. Besides, I think I'll ask Liam!_ She thought. 

"Sure." Liam said to her question. And they played.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red:

It was hard to keep the urge to run up to Sakura and kiss her in check. He couldn't allow his friends to see. _They'd only frown upon us. They'd say that the gap between our ages is too big_. He thought. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer. 

"Sakura, I think that we should tell them. I mean, they're all here." He said quietly. She looked at him with her pale blue eyes. She stood on her tiptoes, so that her forehead was touching his. 

"I miss doing this in public." She whispered. Then, she kissed him. Red was shocked at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her waist. He could feel passing glances of other random people at the pool. Sakura sensed that someone was staring at them, and ended the kiss. When they looked up, they were met with the eyes of Liam and Xanto. 

They both seemed to be asking the same question with their eyes. 

"Is there something you two would like to share with us?" Liam demanded-a playful gleam in his eye. 

"Sakura and I have been hiding this from you." Red confessed. Tim quirked an eyebrow. 

"Why? How long?" He questioned them. 

"Since January. Well…we thought that you wouldn't be happy because of our age difference." Sakura said softly. Liam laughed. 

"If it's true love, you won't care what people think. You'll want to be with that person forever." 

Red smiled. 

"Thanks for the encouragement guys. I guess I should tell my mom."

"And I should tell my parents." Sakura said. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam: 

By the time he returned home, it was past nine. Sahara had invited everyone to get some snacks over at the Winner residence after they had gone swimming. 

"I'm home!" He called out a he walked through the door. 

"Liam? Come into the living room; I want to talk to you." Zechs called back. Liam set down his bag of stuff and went to the living room where he found both of his parents. 

"Liam, we got a letter today." Lucretzia said, handing him a piece of paper. He read it over. 

__

'Dear Liam Peacecraft, 

Congratulations! You are invited to **Tudor University.** _ At this college, you will find that we have many different types of students, an easily navigated campus, and offer our students the best technology available. '_

Liam's eyes wandered down to the bottom of the paper, where names of other students invited were. He recognized only two of them:

Greg Laurence

Lacienega Moran

"I think that you should go. It sounds like a wonderful school for you." Lucretzia said, sitting beside him. 

"Where is it?" Liam asked. 

"It's in New Zealand." Zechs said, his eyes locking with his son's. 

"I'll go just to check it out." Liam said. His mother's eyes looked sad. "What?" He questioned.

"Your mother and I have been talking. Although you would be able to visit home more often if you attended a college here, we think that this college is better for you." 

Liam stared at his father. 

"You're making me go to New Zealand?"

"Tudor offers the best technology there is. Plus, you'll be pushed to your full academic potential." Lucretzia said. 

"Your grades have been falling, and I think that going would be good for you." Milliardo said. 

"But my friends are here! I promised them that I would be going to a college nearby." 

"Your friends are the reason that you're going. I think that you're spending more time with them than you are on your homework and studying. At Tudor, you'll be given the chance to do better. You can do what you love." 

"I can do what I love right here, Dad!" Liam argued. 

"No. You'll be leaving for Tudor in a week." Milliardo said firmly. 

"A week? Why didn't you tell me about this before?!" Liam cried. 

"Because we wanted to make sure that this college was right for you, dear." Lucretzia said, reaching for her son's hand. Liam jerked it away. 

"Oh, and I suppose that that means keeping it from me until the week before I have to leave? Did you ever think of how I would feel about this?" 

"You will be going in a week." Milliardo repeated firmly. 

"**NO! **I don't want to go!" Liam yelled. 

"I don't care if you don't want to go! You** will** go! You'll be near young people who have a passion for learning. Maybe they can instill that passion inside of you. Besides, we've already made the reservations!" Milliardo yelled back. 

"I'd rather be with my friends than a couple of freaks with no lives." Liam spat. He got up, and stomped angrily out of the room and up to his. 

"Liam! **Come back here!**" Milliardo yelled. Liam ignored him. 

__

One more week…He thought. He stared at a picture that his parents had taken at his birthday party that sat upon his dresser. Everyone was laughing. Fey had given him bunny ears at the last second, and he was trying to swat her hand away. His mom had taken the picture without anyone knowing that she would. 

__

How will I tell Fey? I promised her that I wouldn't go far away to go to college. He thought. Liam fell asleep, holding the picture close to his heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva:

After she came home, Naeva went downstairs, and asked her parents if she could talk with them. 

"I want to go to Italy." She said, her expression blank.

"Italy?! But why?" Relena asked. 

"I need to find my uncle. I promised my little sister that I would avenge her death. I will either destroy the secret gundam parts that my parents made, or my uncle. Whichever comes first." 

"No. I won't let you go." Heero said. 

"Why?" 

"Because I am your father, and I said so. It's not safe for you to be there by yourself." 

"I can handle myself. I know how to hack like you, and I know how to use weapons." Naeva pointed out in her monotone. 

"No." Heero repeated. "I won't let you go, end of discussion." He was about to walk out, when Naeva's next comment stopped him.

"Gratia taught me to not run away from my problems. She taught you that too, Dad. I'm _not_ going to run away from my problems." Heero sighed. 

"Fine. You can go." Heero said. 

"Heero! It's dangerous!" Relena cried. Heero smiled wryly. 

"Naeva will be all right. I can find her no matter where she is, if need be." 

"All right. We'll schedule you a flight for Thursday, okay?" Relena asked, sighing. 

"Fine." Naeva said. 

"Be careful, Naeva." Relena said, hugging her daughter. 

"I will…Mom." 

After Relena had scheduled the flight and given her daughter some money, Naeva packed her things_. If I die, I don't care. As long as my uncle never finds those gundam parts. _She thought._ I'm coming home, Gratia_.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lacienega:

The whole day, she just sat around, talking to her friends on the computer. After they had all left, Liam and Greg signed on. Suddenly, the comphone rang. Lacienega clicked a button on her keyboard, and Liam and Greg's faces popped up.

"Hey boys! What's up?" Lacienega asked cheerfully. 

"Ah, not much. I've been bored." Greg said. 

"My life's up. Screwed up, that is." Liam moaned. 

"What happened?" Greg asked. 

"My parents are making me go to Tudor." 

"Didn't you want to go? I saw your name at the bottom of the letter." Lacienega said, a confused look on her face. 

"My _parents_ wanted me to go. I already told all of my friends that I'd be going to a college nearby. I promised Fey that I wouldn't go far away." Lacienega hid her smile behind a hand. "Well, I have to call everyone now. See ya." Liam's face disappeared. It was then that Greg and Lacienega began to laugh. 

"He really doesn't see it. Well, I should probably pack." Cien said. 

"Cien?" Greg asked. 

"Yeah?"  
"I'm glad that we're going together." He said. She smiled. 

"Me too, Greg. Me too." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura:  


When she got home, she wore a huge smile. She didn't have to hide her love for Red anymore. 

"Where were you?" Sally asked. 

"I was at the pool with my boyfriend and the girls." Sakura answered. 

"Your what?" Wufei asked. 

"My boyfriend. You know, Red?" 

"You two finally hooked up! That's great!" Sally said. Wufei glared. "All right, so _some_ of us are not all that happy." 

"What's wrong with Red, Dad?" Sakura questioned. 

"He's Dorothy's boy. He'll grow up to be just like his father. Did you know that Red's father left Dorothy to care for Red all by herself?" Wufei asked. 

"Red's not like that, Dad. He's sweet, and funny, and great to be around." Sakura argued. 

"Whether you want to admit it or not, he _will_ become like his father. He will only cause you grief and pain. You are not to see him, Sakura." 

"But Dad…!" Sakura began.

"No. Like father like child. You will _not_ be seeing him anymore, Sakura!" Wufei said firmly. 

"Like father like child, huh? I'll have you know that being like you is the **last** thing I want to be. Red is not like his father, and I'm not like you!" Sakura cried, running up to her room.

"Honey, why won't you let her see Red?" Sakura heard her mom ask. 

"I don't like that boy. Besides, I want her to focus on school and training; I don't want her mind to be clouded by boys." 

Sakura frowned. _Clouded by boys?! I _**am**_ focused on school and training! Besides, it's not like I actually _want_ to train. I want to be an artist, but I don't think Dad would like that either._ She thought, staring at her paintings. She smiled when she saw the one she had done of Red. His blue-green eyes stared back at her with a gentle look in them. 

"Red." She told her comphone. It automatically dialed his number.

"Hey, what's up?" Red asked, grinning. For the first time in many years, Sakura began to cry. "Why the tears, my precious flower?" He asked gently. 

"Dad doesn't want me to see you." She sniffed. "He thinks that you'll turn out like your dad and leave me. And he wants me to think only about training and school. You won't leave me…will you?" She asked. 

"No, I'll never leave you. I love you. Well, I have to go and eat now. Bye." He said quietly. 

"Bye." And his image disappeared. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that's the end of this chap!! Hope ya liked! Much tension between parent and child, ne? Well, gotta go work on other stories! Bai!

-Infinity


	11. Return to Me

****

Chapter 11: Return to Me

Let's sum up what happened in the last chap:

Liam finds out that his parents are making him go to **Tudor University** (AN: It's not real), a prestige and elite college in New Zealand against his will. However, he promised Fey that he would attend a college nearby. How will he break the news to her? Meanwhile, we find out that Naeva is planning to go to Italy to destroy the gundam parts or her uncle: whichever comes first. Lastly, Sakura and Red finally reveal their relationship to their friends and family. However, Wufei tells Sakura that she is not to see him anymore. What's a new couple to do when their families oppose their relationship??

Which brings us to this chap. Yes, kiddies, this is it. The chapter that bears the name of the story. I must warn you, there is much romance and angst. Without further ado, I give you…**Chapter 11. **~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer: Gundam 'kids', Red, and Greg © Lady Infinity…that's means **me!** Lacienega is © **Micro-Chick. **Gundam pilots & the series are _not_ mine. Otherwise, this would all happen! 

~&~

Liam:

It was Thursday; Liam only had one more day. He had told all friends…except for Fey. How do you tell your best friend that you're going away? He wondered. He had waited until the last minute because he wanted her to be happy in his last few days with her. He knew that she would be upset, but there was nothing he could do. His parents had already paid for everything, and he could not change their minds. 

"Hey Liam! Wanna go somewhere?" Fey's cheerful voice asked. 

"Sure. Where to?" He asked, managing a smile. 

"Let's go see a movie! Pick me up in an hour?" She asked, smiling. Her smile nearly broke his heart. 

"Yes. I'll be there." He said, blinking back the tears. He _couldn't_ tell her. But he had to. _Fey will be angry with me. I know it. _He thought. However, he was glad that she was happy. He went to pick her up, and they watched the movie together, laughing on the way home. When they pulled into her driveway, they just sat in the car. 

"Fey…there's something I have to tell you." Liam said. 

"What is it Liam?" Fey asked, flashing her cheerful smile. 

"I'm going to college soon." 

"That's okay! You said that you'd be staying her for college! Plus, your parents agreed." Fey said cheerfully. 

"No, you don't understand, Fey. My parents changed their minds. They're making me go to a different college. It's in New Zealand." 

"New Zealand?! Liam, you **promised**! That's so far away!" Fey cried. Liam looked away. Fey began to cry. "You promised me, Liam." She sobbed. 

"It wasn't my choice! My parents are _making_ me go! I'm sorry, Fey." Liam said. 

After a long pause, Fey asked, 

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow." 

"Why didn't you tell me about this before, Liam?"

"I didn't want to see you sad. I wanted you to be happy during my last few days here." Liam said. "Will you at least come to see me off tomorrow at 9 A.M.?" 

"Yes." She said quietly. And then, she got out of the car, and went inside. Sighing, Liam drove back home. 

The next morning, Liam looked back at his house one last time before getting into his car and driving to the airport. He found everyone was there. After exchanging farewells with everyone, he came to Fey. For a while, neither could say anything. 

__

Standing in our silence,

I hear my heart beating

And if only I could chose,

I'd stay here with you

Just hold me 'til the plane is leaving.

"Liam, you promised me that you wouldn't leave. Why do you have to go so far away?" Fey asked quietly, wrapping her arms around him. 

"I know. I'm sorry." 

"Promise that you'll return to me."

"I promise." 

__

And whispering your name,

I'll cling to you with all my might.

"Liam…" Fey whispered, clinging tightly to him. He hugged her back. For a while, they just stood like that. 

"Flight 2B, gather your things. Your plane has arrived." The speaker said. 

"I have to go now. I will return to you, Fey." And he boarded the plane with his things. Liam found that from his window seat, he could see Fey standing near a window. Her hand was pressed against the glass, and she looked sad. 

__

Always to you,

I will always return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva:

Liam was seen off, but her plane had yet to come.

"Wow, you're going to Italy! I heard it was romantic there! Send us lots of pics in your emails, okay?" Sahara asked happily. 

"Yeah." Naeva said without any emotion. 

"Why do _you_ have to leave me too?" Fey asked sadly. 

"I'll be back." Naeva said. 

"Tell us everything that you see there!" Sakura said. 

"Flight 2c, gather your things. Your plane is here." The announcer said. 

"My plane. Bye." Naeva said, picking up her bags. 

"Wait!" Xanto called. "Do you have a picture of all of us?" He asked. She stared steadily back at him without blinking.

"I don't need one." And with that, she turned away, and boarded her plane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura:

Sahara and Xanto had invited everyone to sleep at their mansion. Red was near Sakura, and Fey was on her other side. Quietly getting up, Sakura gathered her things. She didn't want to wake them. _I'm sorry, Fey. I know that many important people are leaving you, and I am no different. I hope you can forgive me. And Red…_She paused to look at his face. He looked peaceful as he slept. 

__

I will be back. I just…need to get away from it all for a while. I'll be back when I feel the time is right. Don't worry about me. She leaned down, and kissed him gently on the forehead before silently tiptoeing out the door. _I'll return to you, Red._ And then, she left.

Relena had showed Naeva a cottage in the middle of nowhere. It was in a secluded part of a forest, and was hidden by tall trees and bushes. A little stream ran by it, and there was a vegetable garden that she and Naeva had taken care of when they were younger. Of course, she still came here to pick the things that looked ripe, and say that she got them at the store. But Naeva knew better. 

Only she and Naeva knew about this place. Naeva came here when she wanted to be alone. Now, Sakura was doing the same. They hadn't told Sahara or Fey, because they wouldn't understand. There were many people that they could go to, but sometimes…sometimes, you needed to get away from everything. From the bustle of every day. And the cottage was the perfect place to do just that. 

Sakura would live in this cottage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red:

He was the first one to wake up in the morning. And the first one to notice that Sakura was gone. Her sleeping bag, her pillow, her shoes, and her bag were missing. He decided to alert everyone. After searching the mansion, they gave up.

"What's with all the long faces?" Quatre asked, coming downstairs. 

"Sakura is missing!" Sahara said. 

"I don't know when she left, but I have no idea where she could be." Red said. 

"We're going to have to call her parents." Catherine said, appearing beside her husband. 

"I'll call them." Red said. 

"Hi Red." Sally said upon seeing him. It was eleven, so they were already awake. 

"Mrs. Chang, Sakura isn't over there is she?" Fey, Sahara, and Xanto appeared behind him. 

"No, why?" Sally asked.

"When we woke up, she was gone. Her things are too." 

"What's going on?" Wufei demanded. Red calmly explained the situation. "Sakura is _what_?!" He cried angrily. 

"We'll all go look for her, okay? We need to work together." From eleven in the morning until seven at night, they searched. But nobody knew where she was. They asked neighbors, but no one had seen her. 

Finally, they decided to give up. Red sat down, and put his head in his hands. Sahara put a hand on his shoulder, and offered a sympathetic smile. It helped…somewhat. 

"It's all _your_ fault!" (AN: Sounds like Akito from Fruits Basket…) Wufei yelled, pointing at Red. The young man glared at him.

"_MY_ fault? I love Sakura just as much as you do! If I knew anything about this, I would have prevented it from happening in the first place! She probably ran away because **you** wouldn't let her be with me." Red argued.

Wufei slammed his fist down on the table he was sitting at, making a vase fall to the ground and shatter. 

"I am her father, and I will do what I think is best for my daughter!" 

"But do you really know your daughter? For example, did you know that she wants to be an artist when she grows up? Or that she doesn't like her training?" Red asked quietly. Wufei blinked. 

"She…wants to be an artist?" Red nodded.

"She never told you because she thought that you would disapprove of it. I promise that I won't be at peace until she's found." 

"I guess you know her better than I do. Thank you." Wufei managed to say. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fey: 

__

I have something to tell you, Fey…

Her heartbeat had sped up at that moment. She thought that he was going to tell her that he was in love with her. _I'm so stupid! I should have known that this would happen. He's so far away now…_

Tears stained her cheeks, indicating that she had been crying for a long time. After a while, there came a tapping at her window. She thought nothing of it. _It's probably just the wind…_ She thought. Suddenly, somebody appeared in her room. Whoever they were, they were wearing all black. The moon made the person's eyes shimmer, sending his shadow across the room.

Swiftly, he clamped his hand over her mouth. 

"We don't want to be noticed. Scream, and I'll kill you right here." He whispered. The alarm of the house began going off. The mysterious man grabbed her, and broke through the window. 

The man whistled, and a black car approached them. He roughly shoved Fey into the car. 

There were three other men in the car. They quickly drove away. "Bind her hands." Fey's captor ordered. A man next to her obeyed. 

"Why did you kidnap me?" Fey asked. One of the men grinned maliciously. 

"You might wanna ask her, girlie." He said, jerking his head toward the shadowed part of the car. Fey could scarcely make out the person that was there, but she was definitely female. 

"Remember me, Fey Maxwell?" The girl asked. _That voice! I know that voice!_ She thought. 

"Ivy Connaway?" She questioned. The moon shone upon the lower half of the girl's body and face. Her eyes were completely hidden in the shadows. 

"So you do remember me. We may not have had any classes together _this_ year, but remember 6th grade? Remember how I used to come over to your house all the time?" 

"Yes, I do."

"Think back really hard. What was the last thing I ever said to you?" Ivy questioned. Fey thought as hard as she could. 

***Flashback***

It's not fair! You're best friends with His Majesty! Everyone had called Liam that, even though he wasn't in their school anymore. He was already in 10th grade by then. However, the school never forgot him. The children were told by their older siblings who Liam was. 

__

Oh Ivy, he's just a friend. Come over to my house today? Liam will be there. Fey said, giggling. She knew very well that her friend had a crush on Liam. And so, she came. Liam was happy to talk to her, but he seemed to like to talk with Fey more.

When they were walking along together, a couple of college guys-and a girl-attacked them. They had guns with them. They aimed it at Liam.

So you're the Peacecraft kid. I'm gonna get a lotta money killing you. Although your Auntie isn't the Vice Foreign Minister anymore, she's important. Everyone knows about her. The guy with the gun said. He shot, and Ivy jumped in front of Liam. She fell to the ground, bleeding. 

__

Liam, Fey, help me… She cried out, but they had already run away. They were gone.

***End Flashback***

"You left me lying there, all alone. These guys took me in. The same ones that attacked us that day. The girl died. I'm their new leader now. Liam has always been mine, but you…you shall pay for what you did!" Ivy said. 

"No! You've got it all wrong! Liam and I ran because we thought you were dead. When we came back, they were gone, and so were you. We thought that they took your dead body and dumped it somewhere so they wouldn't be blamed. We didn't hear you calling. If we did, we would have come back to help you." Fey said.

"More lies!" She cried. Suddenly, the car came to a stop. They were quite far away, and in the broken down part of a city, no less. "Bring her inside." Ivy ordered. The men grabbed her roughly, and shoved her inside a door, where she was greeted with more rough-looking people. There were just as many girls as there were guys. They were all wearing black, and the girls were wearing rather revealing outfits. 

When Ivy walked through, all talking ceased. She was their leader because she was rich. She wore a black trench coat and knee-length black boots. She threw of her trench coat, and sat on a rather expensive-looking chair in the center of the room. She was wearing a black leather leotard that was kept on her body by flesh-colored material. Her stockings were black, and attacked to clips on her leotard. A smirk came to her face.

"What did ya catch us this time, Lady Ivy?" One of the girls asked. The girls' clothes were almost identical to Ivy's-those that weren't in the back with the men. Fey tried to ignore the noises. 

"Well, well. Isn't she a pretty thing?" A man asked grinning. 

"Hold her mouth open." Ivy ordered, slipping on black leather gloves. 

She held out her hand, and was given a glass bottle. She uncorked it, and poured some of its contents into Fey's mouth. It was tasteless. Fey knew it was some type of poison, but didn't have long to dwell on the subject; she was out cold a couple of seconds later.

__

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for the angst. But it's necessary. Songs used:

(In the Liam segment)

I Will Always Return-Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron 

Somehow, Somewhere-Amy Grant/Michael W. Smith


	12. Danger

****

Chapter 12: Danger

This chapter is mainly what Naeva and Liam are doing. 

Warnings: Violence. Cursing. Whole sentences Italian. Proceed with caution. (AN: That was a joke for those of you who are Italian! ^^() 'Tis actually a cool language)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva:

As she walked down the streets of her hometown, memories flooded her mind. So much had happened here. And not even Heero and Relena knew about her troubled past. When she was two, her parents went away. She was taken care of by her uncle.

__

She discovered one day, while hiding in the closet that her uncle worked for the government. Their family was famous for their mobile suit parts. Another war was brewing, and the government wanted those parts. If they refused, he would give them the poison. Gratia managed to escape, and God allowed her enough strength to end up on Heero's doorstep, where she was cared for by him. 

While Gratia was in Heero's care, Naeva only suffered more. She knew that her uncle had the antidote. But first, she had to find the gundam parts and destroy them. She would destroy her uncle too, if he got in the way. It all depended on which one came first: the parts… or her uncle.

She knew the way to her house by heart. _He's probably still there. He knows that I'll come. But he'll never catch me_. Naeva thought, a slight smirk coming to her face. She waited until it was dark. The street lights were still on, so she kept herself hidden in the shadows. She had her cell phone and a couple of knives and daggers in her trench coat just in case. 

Silently, she crept into the window of the house she knew by heart. Carefully, quietly, she found herself drowned in the dark. It didn't matter. She was accustomed to it. She made her way down the stairs without making a sound, and cut the cords to the alarm before it could sound. Then, she saw a book on her uncle's desk. She had seen that book before when she was younger. 

Stealthily, she opened the book. Licking her finger, she flipped the pages until at last, she found what she was looking for.

"Così, venite in fine (So, you come at last)." A voice said. 

"You're good, Uncle. To sense me. Nobody has ever sensed my presence until it was too late!" And Naeva quickly took out a knife, and stabbed him with it. He laughed maniacally. 

"You may have found what you wanted, Naeva, but it seems that you made a slight miscalculation. We'll see if you're still alive by the time you're done destroying the gundam parts." And then, he was dead. 

Naeva took the book, and wiped her knife on her uncle's shirt before returning it to its special pocket. She picked up a few explosives from a nearby weapons shop, and went to the gundam parts. She skillfully attached the explosives to the parts, and went far away. 

She pressed the detonation button, and it all exploded. 

"Mission: completed." (AN: o.O Sounds a lot like Heero…) And then, it began to rain. Naeva's head began to spin. She felt the familiar symptoms of her poison. _What's going on? My next attack wasn't supposed to happen until next week. I planned every part of this trip carefully. I calculated when my next attack would come, and if I would be able to make it home before then. So WHY is this happening? _She asked herself.

Her eyes opened wide as it dawned on her. She opened the book under her trench coat, and smelled the pages. 

__

Damn him! He poisoned the pages! Naeva silently cursed. _I made a miscalculation_…She closed her eyes, and fell to her knees. A wry smile graced her lips. _Clever, Uncle. _She took something out of her jacket before the poison made her fall to the ground. She could vaguely make out the sound of her cell phone ringing. And then, she lost consciousness. She lay on the ground, in the rain, her hand outstretched. 

In that hand, Naeva held a picture of herself and Xanto. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam:

He had been staying at Tudor for a week. He shared a room with Greg and another guy named Travis. 

__

Always to you,

I will always return

****

Greg snapped his fingers. 

"Liam, Travis and I are going swimming today. Do you want to come?" 

"Go away. Stop bothering me." Greg had a sad look in his eyes. 

"Okay, see you later." 

__

I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want to talk to anyone. I just…I just want to go home. Liam thought. Every day was like this. He'd wake up, go to class, do his homework, and go to bed. He didn't have time to send his family an email, much less pictures. Travis and Greg and some of the other guys would go to parties, but Liam would just sit by himself and think. 

__

Why am I so miserable? He asked himself. 

__

I hear your voice from deep within

Always to you,

I will always return.

I can't stand the distance

I can't wait to see you

****

Liam, let's go to the same college! 

Liam sighed as he remembered that day. The day he promised that he wouldn't go far away to college. Fey had been so happy when he had promised. He couldn't wait until he would see Fey's smile again. He wanted to return to his friends. He wanted to return home. 

The distance between himself and Fey was driving him insane. He didn't know why, but he wanted to see her so badly. Liam fell asleep after that. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greg:

He met Lacienega at the pool. 

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you here." She said, grinning. He simply nodded. "Something wrong?" 

"It's Liam. Lately he's been really quiet, and doesn't want to go anywhere. And when you try to talk to him, he just tells you to go away." Lacienega smiled knowingly. 

"He misses Fey. I just _knew_ that distance would make him realize it!" She squealed. 

"At least he has someone to think of." Greg said. Lacienega looked up at him and smirked, her eyes turning a playful light green. 

"Don't you think about me?" 

Greg's face flushed pink. Lacienega giggled. Then, her expression became serious.

"I was so busy noticing the love in everyone else's lives that I didn't even notice the love in mine. I had too many guy friends. I didn't think that it was possible to fall in love with any of them. But you know what?" She asked him. They had changed, and were walking back to their dorms. 

"What?" Greg asked, his green eyes staring back into her now serious brown. 

"I fell into my own trap. I fell in love with one of them." 

Greg felt disappointment inside. He didn't realize that he thought of Cien as more than a friend until it was too late. Now, her heart yearned for another. 

"I'm sure that whoever he is, he'll love you too." He said. They had reached her door, and he began to walk away. 

"But how can I know for sure if he's walking away from me?" Lacienega asked. Greg turned around to stare at her. A small smile appeared on her lips. 

Greg felt his legs move, and his brain stop thinking. He walked to Lacienega and wrapped his arms around her. He then leaned down and kissed her. Time seemed to stop then. It was as if they were the only two people in the world.

"That was his answer. Goodnight, Cien." He whispered, walking away to his own dorm. 

"Goodnight, Greg." She whispered to his retreating back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fey: 

When Fey regained consciousness, she had a headache. She attempted to reach for her head, but her hands were bound together with thick rope that cut into her skin. Every part of her body ached. Slowly, she remembered where she was. 

"So you're awake. I'm sure Lady Ivy would want to know." A girl said, smirking. Then, she disappeared. She returned several minutes later with Ivy. 

"Ah, you're awake. I must apologize for anything that my servants did to you before you were bound. They're permitted to do whatever they please with our captives when I'm not present." She said, a smirk on her face. 

"Now, tell me where Liam is, and I let you go free." Ivy said. Fey spit in her face. 

"NO!" She cried. Ivy sighed, and turned around. 

"You may do whatever you like to her. Make sure that she is in pain until she talks." She said, turning away. Terrible things were done to Fey. (AN: Interpret that as you like) She was kicked, slapped, beaten, and bruised. 

__

Everyone…they're probably wondering where I am. _I'm sorry everyone… _Fey thought. Later, Ivy came back. 

"I've thought of what I should do to you." She told Fey. "I'm going to do to you the same thing you did to me. Hand me my dagger." She commanded. One of her minions went away and returned with a wooden box. The inside was lined with rich, deep green velvet.

A dagger with a golden handle lay inside. Intricate carvings of leaves were on the sides. "I feel kind of bad hurting my former best friend. You do it; I'll watch." She said, tossing the blade to the guy who had broken into Fey's room. He smirked. 

"With pleasure, my lady." 

"I'm sorry Liam…I'm sorry. I never got to tell you that I was the one who gave you that Valentine. I never got to say…I love you." Fey sobbed. Then, she felt a great pain in her chest. She put a hand to her heart, and blood trickled down her hand.

"Throw her outside in the rain." Ivy said coldly. The man picked her up, and left her in the middle of a deserted road. Her hands were still bound, and she couldn't get up. 

__

Thank you, God. Thank you for putting Liam in my life…She thought. _I guess I am going to die here, alone. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura:

She knew that everyone was looking for her. But she needed a little peace. Food wasn't hard to get. She had brought some supplies. Plus, there were fresh vegetables from the garden in back. It was peaceful.

Yet, she wished that Red was with her. They could get away from her father, and live by themselves. But then, she'd feel guilty. Guilty that she had chosen him to come with her instead of Sahara or Fey. _Fey must be so lonely. _Sakura thought. _With Liam, Naeva, and myself gone. She's probably worried about me. _Sakura thought. 

__

I think that I'll return tomorrow. She thought. But she would not return tomorrow. That night, as she was about to go to bed, it began to rain. Sakura thought nothing of it, for it was just a small shower at first. Then, the water began to come down in greater quantities, and the wind began to pick up speed. It howled and whistled, threatening to rip the cottage apart. 

The old boards creaked in protest. Sakura really began to worry when she heard a loud crash. She tried to open the door of the cottage, but it held fast. Standing on her tiptoes to look out the small window, Sakura found that it was fogged up a bit. She wiped the window with the sleeve of her dark green sweater. She could see that a large tree had fallen in front of her door.

__

Well, I guess I'm stuck here for a while. She thought. She went to the ice chest that was near the table, and took out a soda. After drinking it, she fell fast asleep. 

She was awoken in the middle of the night by the splash of something wet on her face. She got up, and gasped. The cottage was filled up to her waist in water!

Sakura peeked through the window, and saw that the nearby stream was the cause of the flooding. _It's okay, don't panic, Sakura._ She told herself. She tried to pry open a window, but the wind was blowing from the opposite direction, and kept shutting it. 

__

Oh no! I'm trapped! She thought desperately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xanto:

Bored out of his mind, and with nothing to do, the Winner boy decided to call everyone to see if they had any luck finding either Fey or Sakura. They had noticed that Fey was missing two days ago. When her parents rushed up to her room, the window was shattered, and there was no trace of her. 

__

I wonder if Naeva would know…He absently wondered. But what if the news upset Naeva? He knew that she didn't outwardly show emotion, but she would be worried deep down. Both of her best friends were missing. Sighing, Xanto decided to call her cell phone. 

"Naeva Yuy 2." He said. The comphone automatically dialed her cell phone number. It rang several times, but Naeva's face did not appear. 

__

Why isn't she answering? He thought. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red woke up in the middle of the night. _Wait! I know where Sakura is!!_ He thought. _That one time…she told me that if she ever wanted to get away from everything! She only mentioned it once, but I remember now! _

He took went to his comphone, and quickly commanded it to call the Chang residence. 

"Sorry to bother you so late, Mrs. Chang, but I think I may know where Sakura is. Wait here. I'll go check." He said. 

"Red?" Sally asked. 

"If she's in any danger, I won't hesitate to call," He said, grabbing his cell phone. 

"Thank you." And then, her image disappeared. 

Red jumped in his car, and sped off. _C'mon God, please…just help me remember it. Liam always prays when he needs help, and I need help right now. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again, sorry for the angst ^^() Hope you liked! Man, I've never gotten so many chapters out at once!!

-Infinity


	13. Rescues

Chapter 13: Rescues

Chapter title is self-explanatory. Ack, look how much I've updated already!! **TWO** chapters in one day, and three in a week! You guys should be happy!! Isn't that right, MC? *giggles* Look at the nice men in white coats!!

Man: We have to take you away now. No more sugar for you. 

Awww…okay… (AN: Just kidding!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing chars not mine. Gundam kids, Red, & Greg **© Lady Infinity **(me). Lacienega © **Micro-Chick.**

~&~

Liam:

(Author's Notes: This actually happens a day before Fey gets hurt. Amazing how God works, ne?)

***Dream Mode***

__

Liam! Help! Fey cried out. 

__

Fey!! Fey, where are you?? A thick fog made it difficult to see. 

__

I'm…over here. Help… Her voice was barely audible. 

"Liam, wake up!" Greg said, shaking him. Liam blinked.

"What…? Greg, I've got to go back!" He suddenly cried. 

"What are you talking about, Liam?" 

"Fey! She needs me! I need to go to her!" Liam cried. 

Greg looked worriedly at his friend. "Please, Greg. She's hurt. I just know it. You can call me crazy, but I think God is trying to tell me that she needs my help." He said quietly. Greg smiled. 

"Call your parents. I'll arrange the flight." He said. Somehow, when Liam called, his parents had arranged for him to travel Concord. First class. (AN: It cuts the travel time in half if ya travel Concord!!) 

****

Liam, help me!

__

I hear the wind call your name

It calls me back home again.

I can't wait to see you,

'Cause I'm on my way home.

A couple of hours later, Liam found himself on the plane. _I'm coming, Fey. _And 12 hours later, when Liam woke up, he was home. Everyone was there, except for Red and Xanto.

"Where's Fey?" He questioned. Sahara answered. 

"She's been missing for quite a while. Since the day you left. The next day, she was gone." 

"I'm going to find her." 

"But Liam, there's a terrible storm!" Lucretzia said.

"Where are Red and Xanto?" Liam asked, noticing that they were not present. 

"Red went to look for Sakura. And Xanto is in Italy checking to see if Naeva is in trouble. She wasn't answering her cell phone." Tim answered. 

__

Why? Why is this happening? Why are so many people I know in danger? He asked himself as he jumped into his car. 

"Liam, wait! You'll never find her in the rain!" Lucretzia cried over the wind. 

"God brought me here, and God will lead me to her!" And off he sped. 

__

God, I really need you. I know that you brought me back home for a reason. Help me find Fey… please. Liam silently prayed. He drove through an unfamiliar alleyway, and that was where his car stopped running. _This must be where she is…_Liam thought.

His feet began to walk. The wind and rain were chilling, but he wouldn't give up. 

"Fey! Fey, where are you?!" He yelled over the wind. Finally, he heard a weak moan. He ran towards the noise, and found a shivering, bloodied heap. 

"Fey?" He asked gently. 

"L-Liam? What are y-you d-doing here?" She asked weakly. Liam smiled. 

"I said that I'd come back, didn't I? Well, here I am." She smiled weakly. 

"I knew..." She coughed, "I knew that you would return to me. I was so afraid that I would die alone. I'm…so happy now t-that you're here." She whispered.

"You're not going to die: not if I can help it!" Fey smiled sadly. 

"I was the one who gave you that Valentine. I don't think you knew that. Ivy… do you remember her? She was j-jealous. That's why she d-did this to me. But now that you're here, I think that I can die in peace. Now I can finally tell you… I love you." Liam held her close, and felt his tears spill out. 

"Don't talk like that, Fey! I was so worried. I was afraid that you would be dead when I got to you. Or worse-that I would never find you at all. I thought of you every day at Tudor. I was so blind! Everyone else could see it… everyone but me. I'm not going to lose the girl that I came all this way to see. I'm not going to lose… the girl I love." 

__

Now I know it's true   
My every road leads to you   
And in the hour of darkness darlin'   
Your light gets me through

  
**Oh it's to you - I'll always belong**

__

"You're bleeding! Let's get that treated; let's go home Fey." And they got into Liam's car and went home, where Fey was immediately taken to the hospital.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red:

After driving several hours in the rain, Red came to a f0rest. He could see that there was a cabin there. Jumping out of his red car, he ran towards it. He saw that a large tree had fallen in front of the door, and that the stream was overflowing. 

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" Red asked, knocking on the window. The inside was filled with water. Sakura's face popped up. The water covered up her entire body, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to keep from drowning. "Sakura! Open the window!" Red yelled over the howling wind. 

Nodding, she unlocked the window. Just as she was about to open it, the cabin flooded with water all the way. Sakura struggled to breathe, but to no avail. With the last of her strength, and her lungs about to burst, she flung the window open. Red held it, and used his free arm to pull her out. 

She coughed and sputtered, and he let her catch her breath for a while. Then, she began shivering. 

"Where _were_ you?" Red asked. 

"I w-was h-here. I'm s-sorry that I w-worried you." She said through chattering teeth. 

"Dang, you scared me! What the heck were you thinkin', comin' out here by yourself?" Red cried. 

"I'm s-sorry." Sakura said. 

"Come on, let's get home. We were all getting worried, especially after we found out that Fey was missing too." Red said. Sakura's eyes widened. 

"Fey's m-missing?" She asked. 

"Yeah, but don't worry. Liam should have already arrived. Xanto went off to Italy to check up on Naeva, so he's been gone too." 

"So much happened while I was gone. How did you find me?" Sakura questioned. Red grinned. 

"True love can do anything. Now come on, before you get hypothermia." Red said. And they got into his car and sped home. 

Once there, both were given several blankets, and fire was made in the fireplace to help them warm up. 

"I'm sorry for only adding to your misery, everyone. I'm sorry Dad." She said, hugging Wufei. 

"Don't you _ever_ do anything like that again! Is that understood?" Wufei asked sternly. Sakura smiled. 

"Yes. Where's Mom?" 

"She is in Italy with Xanto. Just in case Naeva needs her." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xanto:

Once Heero and Relena had told him that Naeva had been poisoned, he made up his mind. He would go to Italy. He boarded his father's private jet and brought Sally with him. He had his cell with him, and Heero told him that he had pinpointed Naeva's location, and that the Winner boy was to proceed there. When he arrived, he found that it was dark. The streets were lit with street lamps, but Naeva was nowhere to be found.

"Advance forty feet. Position yourself to the east." Heero said from his cell. Xanto nodded, and obeyed. He was now standing in a shadowed area, which made it difficult to see. He looked down, and could barely make out a human form in the dark. 

Sally came up behind him, and shined her flashlight on the body. 

"That's her, alright." She mumbled to herself. "Xanto, help me pick her up. We're going back on an emergency flight, don't worry. The flight will only take three hours, since it's a private jet."

Xanto took Naeva into his arms, and drove to the nearest airport. Sally talked with some Italians, and sighed when she came back. 

  
"They said that the last emergency flight just left. There won't be another until tomorrow." 

"She may not have until tomorrow!" Xanto cried. 

__

"I've never seen this type of poison! It was made specifically for _her_ body. It takes over her brain. I suspect that she has information that people from her past want." Sally replied.

"You're just going to let her die?" Xanto yelled.

Sally glared at him.

"Sakura is missing, Xanto!" 

"**I KNOW THAT**! Stop being so selfish, Mrs. Chang! I realize that you are worried for Sakura's safety, but think about Relena. Although Naeva is only her adoptive daughter, she's still her daughter. How do you think _she_ feels?" Fey is missing too. How do you think Duo and Sarah feel? Can't you see that we're all in pain? Naeva only has one chance of living: **YOU**. Please, do it for me. At least do it for Relena. She's hurting so much for her little girl." Xanto said quietly. 

"I'll try my best." She said. 

"Thank you." Xanto said, hugging her. 

Hours passed. Sally talked with a couple of other doctors and at last, she emerged. Xanto's eyes pleaded with her. 

"We've done all that we can do. It's all up to her own will to live. She's still out, but you can go in now." Xanto nodded, and went to see her. He sat at a chair near her bed. _She looks peaceful like this. As if she wants to die. Do you want to die Naeva? What makes life so miserable that makes you want to end it? _Xanto thought. He took one of her hands in his. It was beginning to get cold. 

"Please, don't leave me, Naeva. I can't live without you." He whispered, tears streaming down his cheek. He held her hand close to his heart. "Please return to me, Naeva." His tears fell upon her hand, but her eyes remained closed. He leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead before leaving. 

"She'll be better soon. Her body is strong." Sally whispered to him. 

"Her body may be strong, but what about her will to live? Is that strong enough?" Xanto locked eyes with Sally. 

Before she could say anything, her cell rang. Sakura's face popped up. 

"Sakura!" Sally cried. 

"Hi Mom. Hi Xanto. Sorry I worried you like that. Red rescued me. I promise that I won't ever do that again." Sakura said guiltily. 

"I'm just glad that you're alright." Sally said, tears coming to her eyes. 

"Me too. How's Naeva?" 

Xanto looked away.

"She's been treated for the poison. It's all up to her will to live now." He said. Sakura smiled.

"Sahara wants to talk to you." Sakura said, handing the phone off to Xanto's sister. 

"Hi Xanto!" She said, smiling.

"Hey, Ara." He said, smiling back. 

"I know that you're worried about Naeva. Liam and I will be praying for her. Well, I gotta go. Tim's gonna take me bowling." She said, grinning. 

"Hey." Tim said waving at his friend. 

"Don't try anything funny with my sister, or I'll hurt you." Xanto said in a playful tone. 

"Do I look like a pervert to you?" Tim asked, steadily staring back at his friend's face. 

"She'll be all right, Xan. Naeva is cold to everyone, but she has a good heart. Unlike me, she's always had a strong will to live. No matter what, she'll return. She won't give up, yet… not while she still has something to come back for." Sahara said. 

Xanto sighed. He could hide nothing from his sister, who knew him so well. 

"Thank you." He whispered. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naeva & Xanto

She opened her ice blue eyes a crack. _Where am I?_ She wondered, taking in her surroundings. Then, she looked out the window. _I'm still in Italy… but how did I get here?_ She wondered, getting out of her bed. Her head exploded with pain, and Naeva automatically sat down again. 

"Naeva, you're awake!" Sally cried.

"What, did I die overnight?" She asked sarcastically. Sally flinched uncomfortably. Seeing that she had caused the woman discomfort, Naeva switched to a different subject. 

"I wasn't conscious, but I heard someone calling. Who was it?" She asked. Sally smiled.

"Xanto. You've been unconscious for almost three days. He's been coming in here every day. He said he some shopping to do." Sally chuckled. "He's had no sleep. He's beside himself with worry." With that said, Sally walked out the door. 

"If you feel up to it, there's breakfast." She called from the hallway. From the scent, Naeva could tell that the food was on a table to her left. 

After she ate, Naeva decided that she would just look out the window. It was a beautiful morning. However, something was nagging at her. 

***Dream Mode***

Naeva had been unconscious, but she could hear someone calling her. 

__

Naeva…

She could feel someone holding her hand. _Stop caring about me. Just let me die!_ She silently screamed. But the person's hand did not let go of hers. She felt something burn her hand. _Tears…? But why? Why are you crying for me? I've done nothing but hurt people throughout my life. Why do you care about me?_

Why are you crying for me?

***End Dream Mode***

"Naeva! Y…you're awake!" Naeva knew that Xanto was behind her. She was not startled by the sound of his voice. Slowly, she turned around to face him. He was holding a bouquet of primroses. "I bought these for you." He said, setting them in her outstretched hands. She took one out, and smelled it. 

"Primroses. Are you familiar with the language of flowers, Xanto?" 

"Yeah. My mom loves flowers, and she taught their meanings to Sahara. She told me about them." 

"I too know the language of flowers." Naeva said, staring at the flower with her intense blue eyes. "If I am correct, primroses mean 'I can't live without you'. Am I right, Xanto?" She asked, turning her gaze to him. 

"Yes, you are." 

"Why, did you come for me?" She asked him. He sat next to her on her bed, and stared out the window. Two birds were singing to one another. One of them flew away, and the other's song became sad. It brightened when the other bird returned. 

"Look at those birds, Naeva. Every time the female leaves, the male becomes sad. He and I are alike. Every time you leave, my heart grieves. If you are not near me, I cannot go on." 

"Were you the one that cried? Were you the one who shed tears for me?" She asked. Xanto took one of her hands, and put on his chest. 

"My heart beats in sync with yours." He began to pull away, but Naeva grabbed his hand. 

"Did you come all this way for me? I don't understand." 

"You don't have to understand." And Xanto drew her closer to him, and kissed him. For the first time in her life, Naeva was surprised. _What is this strange feeling? _She wondered. "I'm sorry, I should have asked." Xanto said, his cheeks turning red. 

His face was turned away from her. _I finally understand. Love truly is a mysterious thing. _She thought.

"I hope that you're not mad at me. I didn't think, I'm sorry. I came all this way, because I was worried about you, and I love you. I-" He turned to see Naeva glaring at him. 

"Xanto?" 

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me." Then, Naeva did the most unexpected thing: she smiled. Xanto smiled, and kissed her. Naeva wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. After a while, they broke apart, both breathless. 

Naeva leaned forward so that her forehead was touching Xanto's. 

"Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?" 

"For reminding me how to smile, and for teaching me to love again." Xanto grinned. 

"Come on, we should go home now that you're better. Let's go find Sally." He got up and Naeva did the same. They walked side by side down the hallway. Naeva felt something warm in her hand. She looked down and found that Xanto's fingers were locked with hers. 

"I don't want you to leave me again." Xanto said. Naeva kept on walking forward, but she never let go of Xanto's hand. It was then that Xanto noticed that there was a picture hanging around her neck. When he looked closer, he saw that it was the picture that they had taken at the mall. He smiled to himself as they walked together. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: The next chap is the last!! Look for the sequel Between Us! Ato de! 

-Infinity


End file.
